As of: February 29, 2024, 6:31 p.m
By: Michel Guddat
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The third complaint within a short period of time: Internet company Meta is accused of data misuse.
The company rejects the allegations.
Munich – “Make a selection on the topic of advertising.” This option should have been available to every Facebook and Instagram user in Europe since the beginning of November.
The choice is to either pay money or receive personalized ads.
In order to stop seeing advertising, a monthly amount of at least 9.99 euros is required, which caused strong outrage.
“While the subscription is running, the user information will not be used for advertising,” assures the internet giant Meta, which also owns WhatsApp and Messenger.
But for what other purposes?
Complaints against US company Meta: Illegal use of data?
As the European umbrella organization of consumer organizations (Beuc) announced, consumer advocates are campaigning against the alleged illegal use of user data by the Meta group.
The accusation is that users are forced by the payment system to release their data.
Beuc emphasized that the subscription serves as a camouflage for data protection violations.
Meta accesses “all conceivable data about the activities, location, personality, behavior, attitudes and emotions of consumers”.
This exploitation for commercial purposes violates the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), according to consumer advocates.
Illegal use of user data?
Consumer advocates are taking action against social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
© Andre M. Chang/Imago
Eight countries from Europe lodge complaints
Consumer advocates from eight countries, including Denmark, France, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, filed a lawsuit, according to the umbrella organization Beuc.
This represents the third wave of complaints against the US group Meta since the introduction of the payment model. A decision is expected in the coming weeks.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which has been in force since May 25, 2028, stipulates that companies may only use personal data if it is necessary for the execution of a contract or if consent has been given.
In addition, everyone has the right to information (once a year free of charge), the right to correction and completion and the right to deletion.
Warning from the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court
The allegations were rejected by Meta itself, stating that the subscription concept was in line with the case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
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Since its introduction in November 2023, the NRW consumer advice center has also taken measures against the operator and achieved its first success: the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court has issued an interim injunction against Meta.
A press release from the consumer advice center states: “The order buttons for the subscriptions do not comply with legal regulations.”
WhatsApp has also been improving its data protection for some time.
The messenger recently introduced a screenshot lock for certain areas.
But the new features also have a dark side.
The app is no longer supported on some smartphones.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked.
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