Last fall, Facebook rolled out a controversial business model for European users that required them to pay a monthly subscription fee to opt out of targeted ad tracking. Not surprisingly, many advocates and lawmakers immediately sounded the alarm about this, criticizing the company for effectively forcing users to pay for privacy. And this week, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has agreed, issuing guidance stating in no uncertain terms that this model has to go.

“Online platforms should give users a real choice when employing ‘consent or pay’ models,” the Board’s chair, Anu Talu, wrote in a press release. “The models we have today usually require individuals to either give away all their data or to pay. As a result most users consent to the processing in order to use a service, and they do not understand the full implications of their choices.”

Privacy advocates also celebrated the decision, noting that Facebook now has no choice but to ditch its subscription plans all across Europe.

“Overall, Meta is out of options in the EU. It must now give users a genuine yes/no option for personalized advertising,” said longtime Facebook foe Max Schrems.

There’s no doubt this is a gigantic win for user privacy overseas, and it’s also an encouraging sign that regulators can still force the company to change its ways no matter how powerful it is.

Recommended Resources

Choose what the experts use: award-winning cybersecurity you can trust and rely on.

Surf the web truly incognito. Try Bitdefender Premium VPN, the ultra-fast VPN that keeps your online identity and activities safe from hackers, ISPs and snoops.

System Mechanic 14 – Make your computer run like new. Winner of 200+ Editor’s Choice awards!