Photo: Reuters
The Meta Platform may not use customer behavioral data for advertising in the European Union and the European Economic Area.
The data regulator of Norway, which is not a member of the European Union but part of the single European market, had previously banned the company, which the EU has now decided to extend to the rest of the 30 European countries.
Stopping the collection of consumer behavioral data and its use in advertising would create a major crisis for the US tech giant. So the company that owns Facebook and Instagram has opposed such a ban.
Meanwhile, Norway’s data regulator said Meter could face fines of up to four percent of annual global revenue, Reuters reported.
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has ordered Ireland’s data regulator to impose a permanent ban within two weeks on the company’s use of customer behavioral data for advertising. The country is home to Mater’s European headquarters.
“On 27 October the EDPB adopted an urgent operational decision to impose restrictions on the use of customer personal data throughout the European Economic Area,” the EDPB said in a statement to Reuters.
Meta announced in November that it will leave a subscription model for customers in the EU and Single European Market, subject to regulatory agency conditions, including permission to use their data.
“The EDPB members are aware of this and we are working hard to reach an amicable resolution for all parties,” a company spokesperson said.
Such a decision will affect 250 million Facebook and Instagram users in Europe, Reuters commented.
