European Commission accuses Meta of violating digital competition rules with ‘pay or OK’ model

 

The European Commission accused Meta of violating its digital competition rules, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), in its “pay or OK” model, officials told Euractiv on Monday (1 July).

The model, introduced in November 2023, gives users in the EU a choice between consenting to using their personal data for targeted advertising or paying for an ad-free experience on Meta platforms.

Meta does not give users the option of ads that use less personalised data in its “pay or OK” model, neither does it allow users to freely consent to the use of their personal data, so it might be in breach of the DMA, according to the Commission’s preliminary findings.

“For there to be a free choice for the user and a valid choice for the user […] the consumer needs to be in a position to choose an alternative version of the service which relies on non–personalisation of the ads,” said an official in a Monday briefing. (...)