Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, will stop using targeted ads across its platforms in the European Economic Area (EEA) following a binding decision by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB). The ban will take effect within two weeks and will apply to all EU countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
The EDPB’s decision comes after the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled in May that Meta’s approach to behavioral advertising did not comply with EU regulations. Behavioral advertising is a form of targeted advertising that uses personal data to show users ads that are more likely to be relevant to their interests.
Meta has been fined €1.2 billion by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) for violating the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR is a landmark piece of legislation that gives EU residents control over their personal data.
In response to the EDPB’s decision, Meta has announced that it will launch ad-free subscription tiers for Facebook and Instagram in the EEA. The subscription tiers will cost €9.99 per month for web users and €12.99 per month for mobile app users.
The sources for this piece include an article in TechRadar.