Consumer organizations have alerted Brussels.
The European Commission on Friday demanded explanations from Meta on the ad-free subscription system set up on Facebook and Instagram, accused by associations of violating EU rules on personal data.
Since November, Meta has offered European users of Facebook and Instagram the choice between continuing to use these services for free by agreeing to provide their personal data for targeted advertising purposes or paying a subscription to no longer see advertisements.
This formula is presented by the American giant as a way of complying with European rules on the processing of personal data, which have already earned it several convictions and fines.
But consumer associations filed a complaint on Thursday against the new subscription system, denouncing “a smokescreen intended to divert consumers' attention from the illicit processing of their personal data”.
Meta deemed these accusations “unfounded”.
The European executive announced on Friday that it had sent a request for information to the American social media giant on this subject as part of the new digital services regulation (DSA), which came into force at the end of August.
In this official letter, Meta is asked to “provide additional information on the measures taken to comply with its obligations regarding the advertising practices of Facebook and Instagram”.
Meta already questioned several times
Information is also requested on “recommendation systems” which promote content for users of its platforms, as well as on “risk assessments linked to the introduction of this subscription option”.
This is only the first step in a procedure which could ultimately lead to heavy financial sanctions in the event of proven and prolonged breaches of the regulations.
In extreme cases, fines could reach 6% of the global turnover of the groups involved.
The Commission has already sent several requests for information to Meta on various subjects, including the publication of terrorist content, disinformation in the context of electoral campaigns, and the protection of minors.
She clarified Friday that her request for information again addressed some of these topics.
The DSA imposes a series of prohibitions and obligations on online platforms, in particular an assessment of the risks linked to the published content and the adoption of measures to mitigate them.
The Commission, which now plays the role of digital policeman in the EU, has the power to control and sanction offenders.