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Since when did privacy become paid and why do corporations consider it normal?
The Austrian digital rights organization NOYB has filed a complaint against Meta, claiming that it violates European Union privacy laws. According to the complaint, Meta ignores users right to easily opt out of tracking on their social platforms.
NOYB claims that you can only opt out of tracking on Facebook and Instagram by switching to a paid subscription, which is illegal. According to EU privacy laws (GDPR), withdrawing consent should be as simple as providing it.
The organization points out that one click is enough to consent to tracking on Facebook and Instagram, but to revoke consent, you need to go through several pages and pay a "privacy fee" for providing services without ads.
Since November, Facebook and Instagram users in the EU have been able to sign up for ad-free plans to comply with GDPR, which require users to have a choice about how their data is collected and used for targeted advertising.
The subscription price ranges from 9.99 euros per month for web users to 12.99 euros per month for iOS and Android users. From March 1, the additional fee is 6 euros per month for web users and 8 euros for iOS and Android users for each additional account.
Massimiliano Gelmi, data protection lawyer at NOYB, said: "The law is clear, withholding consent should be as simple as providing it. Obviously, paying 251.88 euros per year for refusing consent is not as easy as clicking OK to accept tracking."
A Vienna-based advocacy group challenged the Meta ad-free subscription model itself in a separate complaint filed with Austrian regulators in November.
In response, Meta noted in a blog post that subscriptions as an alternative to viewing ads are a well-established and cost-effective business model in many industries. The company claims that offering ad-free services is "the best solution for compliance" and "meets the latest regulatory developments, guidelines and court decisions submitted by leading European regulators and courts in recent years."
The Austrian digital rights organization NOYB has filed a complaint against Meta, claiming that it violates European Union privacy laws. According to the complaint, Meta ignores users right to easily opt out of tracking on their social platforms.
NOYB claims that you can only opt out of tracking on Facebook and Instagram by switching to a paid subscription, which is illegal. According to EU privacy laws (GDPR), withdrawing consent should be as simple as providing it.
The organization points out that one click is enough to consent to tracking on Facebook and Instagram, but to revoke consent, you need to go through several pages and pay a "privacy fee" for providing services without ads.
Since November, Facebook and Instagram users in the EU have been able to sign up for ad-free plans to comply with GDPR, which require users to have a choice about how their data is collected and used for targeted advertising.
The subscription price ranges from 9.99 euros per month for web users to 12.99 euros per month for iOS and Android users. From March 1, the additional fee is 6 euros per month for web users and 8 euros for iOS and Android users for each additional account.
Massimiliano Gelmi, data protection lawyer at NOYB, said: "The law is clear, withholding consent should be as simple as providing it. Obviously, paying 251.88 euros per year for refusing consent is not as easy as clicking OK to accept tracking."
A Vienna-based advocacy group challenged the Meta ad-free subscription model itself in a separate complaint filed with Austrian regulators in November.
In response, Meta noted in a blog post that subscriptions as an alternative to viewing ads are a well-established and cost-effective business model in many industries. The company claims that offering ad-free services is "the best solution for compliance" and "meets the latest regulatory developments, guidelines and court decisions submitted by leading European regulators and courts in recent years."
