Meta is asked to fine for trying to introduce paid subscriptions to Facebook and Instagram
Kyiv • UNN
NOYB calls on the Austrian DPA to stop Meta's plans to subscribe to ad-free Facebook and Instagram, which they see as a way to protect privacy, and proposes to fine Meta to deter others from doing the same. The cost of privacy-focused subscriptions can reach thousands of euros per year for users.
The organization NOYB demands that the the Austrian data protection authority DPA to immediately stop the alleged violations by Meta related to the introduction of subscriptions. They also also proposes to impose a fine on the company. This should convince other major players not to follow Meta's approach to privacy issues. This is stated in the organization's statement, according to UNN.
Details
NOYB claims that that the cost of a subscription that would allow users to use Meta social networks without seeing ads and without being tracked to customize personalized ads. personalized advertising, is "not at all proportionate". In addition addition, it is emphasized that if other app makers had the same approach, the cost to of users to protect their privacy would increase prohibitively and for some people could amount to several thousand euros per year.
TikTok is already testing an ad-free subscription outside the US. In the near future, other app providers may follow suit, making online privacy unattainable. According to Google, the average person has 35 apps installed on their smartphone. If all of these apps followed Meta's lead and charged similar fees, people would have to pay a "fundamental rights fee" of €8,815.80 per year. For a family of four, the price of data privacy would rise to 35,263.20 euros per year - more than the average full-time income in the EU,
Addendum
In July, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the processing of users' Meta data for personalized advertising was illegal. But not only that: in January, the European Data Protection Board fined Meta €390 million for this violation and ordered the company to obtain user consent based on a 2018 NOYB complaint . Meta now wants to charge people for choosing a confidential setting. Since the beginning of November, Instagram and Facebook users have had to choose between paying up to €251.88 per year or having their personal data monitored for targeted advertising.