Instagram and Facebook were sued for charging privacy fee

Austrian privacy-focused organization Noyb filed a lawsuit against Meta over its recent model of paying for privacy on Facebook and Instagram, the organization announced on Thursday. Since the beginning of November, Meta has implemented a controversial “privacy tariff” of up to 250 euros per year for users who choose not to be tracked on its platforms.

Noyb argues that this practice contradicts European Union data protection regulations, which stipulate that withdrawing consent for tracking should be as simple as giving it. The partnership requires Meta to provide users with a simple way to revoke their consent at no additional cost.

Massimiliano Gelmi, Noyb’s lawyer, criticized Meta’s policy, noting that “paying 251.88 euros a year to withdraw consent is not as easy as pressing an ‘ok’ button to accept tracking.” Meta’s strategy involves charging users for selecting privacy settings, forcing those who cannot pay to accept personalized advertising based on their online activity.

The confrontation between Meta and the authorities of the European Union is not new, with data protection policy, the implementation of the “right to digital oblivion” and the management of social networks in relation to the media some of the points of conflict.

Noyb anticipates that the case could be referred to the Irish Data Protection Authority, which has jurisdiction over Meta in the EU. The lawsuit filed by Noyb seeks to set a precedent in protecting users’ privacy against questionable business practices.

K. Tovar

Source: Bancaynegocios

(Reference image source: Mariia Shalabaieva, Unsplash)

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