- Meta plans changes to allow users in the European Union to opt out of personalized advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
- Users will need to submit a form to object to the company’s use of their activity on both social networks and choose a version of their services that will only serve ads based on general categories.
- The changes are being studied in response to the fine imposed by the European regulator.
Changes are coming to Meta that will impact the way users see advertising on the company’s two main platforms: Instagram and Facebook.
These are changes that, for now, only involve Europe but, most likely, will later spread to the rest of the world.
Indeed, as published this Thursday, March 30, the Financial TimesMeta is finalizing changes to its algorithm so that European Facebook and Instagram users who wish to opt out of personalized advertising can do so by submitting an online form objecting to the company’s use of their activity on both social networks.
According to FTMeta’s plan is to allow users in the European Union choose a version of their services that will only serve you ads based on general categories, like age range and location, without using, as it currently does, particular data like what videos they watch or what kind of content they click on within Meta apps.
Thus, users who want to opt out of being part of this highly segmented target audience, they must submit an online form that the company will evaluate.
As analyzed, this possibility of Meta to “veto” the objection might not affect Meta’s ad business, although it wouldn’t be very satisfying to some regulators.
The changes are being studied as Meta faces a compliance deadline for a pair of rulings by the Irish Data Protection Commission, which leads the application of the European Union’s main privacy law to Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook, Instagram and a problem with targeted advertising
At the beginning of 2023, The European regulator fined Meta’s two main social networks a total of 392 million euros for requiring users to accept a contract that includes so-called “behavioral” or “hyper-targeted” ads. that are targeted based on activity data.
Ireland’s regulatory body gave Meta 90 days to review those contracts.
Meta appealed the rulings and the payment of the fines, but is obligated to comply with them in the meantime.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the rest of the social networks that earn strong revenue from digital advertising have the problem that since 2021 caused a big change from Apple: it made the iPhone ask users whether or not they want their use tracked. .
Many iPhone users refused, which cut important flows of money related to segmented advertising.
Although Meta has long allowed privacy settings to choose not to personalize advertising based on activity data on other sites and apps, until now, it did not allow doing so for ads based on what they do on their own networks. .
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