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The
ban on such advertising, which targets users by harvesting their
data, is a setback for U.S. tech giant Meta Platforms, the owner
of the two social media services, which has opposed efforts by
Norway's Datatilsynet to curb the practice.
"We are very pleased that the European Data Protection Board
agrees with Datatilsynet's assessment and extends our ban. The
aim is that citizens across Europe will have better privacy,"
the head of the Norwegian data regulator, Line Coll, said in a
statement.
Meta is already subject to daily fines in Norway of 1 million
crowns ($90,000) for breaching users' privacy by using their
data, such as locations or browsing behaviour, for advertising,
a business model common to Big Tech.
Datatilsynet in September said it had referred the ongoing fine
to the European regulator, as its fine was valid in Norway only
and due to expire on Nov. 3. It will now be made permanent.
The EDPB's decision is an instruction to the data regulator of
Ireland, where Meta's European headquarters are located, to
impose a permanent ban on the company's use of behavioural
advertising, Datatilsynet said, without giving a timeline.
The decision affects some 250 million Facebook and Instagram
users in Europe, it added.
Meta on Wednesday said it had already said it would give users
in the EU and the EEA the opportunity to consent, and would
offer, in November, a subscription model to comply with
regulatory requirements.
"EDPB members have been aware of this plan for weeks and we were
already fully engaged with them to arrive at a satisfactory
outcome for all parties," said a company spokesperson.
"This development unjustifiably ignores that careful and robust
regulatory process."
The Brussels-based EDPB was not immediately available for
comment. Wednesday is a bank holiday in Belgium.
($1 = 11.1800 Norwegian crowns)
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche, editing by Terje Solsvik and
Tomasz Janowski)
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