Consumer Rights Groups File Complaints Against Meta’s “Consent or Pay” Ad-Free Subscription Model in the EU

Consumer rights groups across the European Union have filed complaints against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, over its controversial “consent or pay” model. The model requires users to either pay a monthly fee to opt out of seeing ads or agree to be tracked and profiled for targeted advertising.

The complaints, brought under the EU’s data protection rules, argue that Meta’s model does not meet the high bar set by the law for consent to be valid. The consumer groups claim that the company is coercing users into accepting its data processing practices and violating GDPR principles such as purpose limitation, data minimization, fair processing, and transparency.

If found in breach of the regulation, Meta could face penalties of up to 4% of its global annual turnover and be ordered to stop unlawful processing. The complaints highlight the need for data protection authorities to intervene and stop Meta’s unfair data processing practices that infringe on people’s fundamental rights.

This latest action adds to the mounting pressure on Meta to reform its surveillance business model in the EU. The company’s “consent or pay” offer has already faced several GDPR complaints, with privacy rights groups challenging the legality of the tactic. The European Commission also oversees enforcement of the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, which regulate consent for ad-targeting purposes and impose fines for non-compliance.

As the complaints against Meta make their way through regulatory channels, the company’s lead data supervisor in the EU, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, continues to face criticism over its enforcement of the GDPR. With multiple avenues for scrutiny and potential enforcement action, Meta’s consent model is under increasing pressure to comply with EU data protection and consumer protection laws.