Meta again on the target of EU regulators. The European Commission is investigating the compliance of the pay-or-consent model – in which users have to choose between payment or consent to data processing – with privacy laws. Meta counters that it not only complies with the regulations, but offers users more transparency than the rules require.
The problem is thatBrussels sees this solution as circumventing RODO. According to critics, users are forced to choose between privacy and access to services, which in practice violates the principle of voluntary consent. Meta has made a number of modifications in response – including simplifying the choice interfaces and introducing an ad-free monthly subscription (around €10).
In the background of the dispute, there is a wider conflict between the European interpretation of privacy and the US approach to data monetisation. This is not just a Meta issue – other platforms are already testing a similar model. The Commission’s decision could therefore shape the digital advertising market across the EU – or force Big Tech to fundamentally change its strategy in Europe.
