Meta adds less-personalized ad option for EU users
Meta has agreed to offer European users of Facebook and Instagram a new way to access its platforms with reduced data tracking, marking a major change to its advertising model after regulators found the company in breach of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The European Commission announced that Meta will introduce a less personalized advertising option for users across the EU starting in January 2026. For the first time, consumers will be able to use the company’s social media services without consenting to extensive personal data processing for fully targeted advertising.
Under the revised system, users will be presented with three choices. They can continue to accept full data use in exchange for fully personalized ads, pay for an ad-free subscription, or select a new option that relies on significantly less personal data and delivers more limited advertising.
The move follows an investigation into Meta’s earlier pay-or-consent model, which required users either to agree to full tracking or to pay for ad-free access. In April, the Commission ruled that this structure did not provide sufficient user choice under the Digital Markets Act and fined Meta €200 million. Regulators also ordered the company to change its practices or face escalating daily penalties that could reach up to 5% of average global daily revenue.
After months of discussions with Brussels, Meta submitted a revised proposal that the Commission has now acknowledged as a meaningful step toward compliance. The regulator said the new system aims to ensure that users have full and effective control over how their personal data is used, as required by EU law.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Meta had begun removing minors below 16 years of age in Australia from its platforms - Instagram, Threads, and Facebook - ahead of the country’s world-first youth social media ban.
