ALBAWABA - Mark Zuckerberg's Meta made headlines after being accused by the EU of breaking European law over its new "pay or consent" model.
The advertising model in question allowed European users to pay a fee ($14) to receive ad-free versions of Meta apps including Facebook and Instagram.
According to CNN, The European Commission issued a statement on Monday that said, "This binary choice forces users to consent to the (use) of their personal data and fails to provide them a less personalized but equivalent version of Meta’s social networks."
EU accuses Meta of breaking European law
If the investigation passes, Meta is looking at a fine that could reach $13.5 billion since 10 percent would be deducted from its yearly global revenue, in reference to 2023 profits.
Zuckerberg's tech company clapped back in disagreement with the commission's findings:
"'Subscription for no ads' follows the direction of the highest court in Europe and complies with the DMA,” a spokesperson told CNN. “We look forward to further constructive dialogue with the European Commission to bring this investigation to a close."
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European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton took to his official X (formerly known as Twitter) and wrote:
"The #DMA is here to give back 🇪🇺 users the power to decide over their data. Meta has forced millions of users across the EU into a binary choice: "pay or consent". In our preliminary conclusion, this is a breach of the DMA. Today we take an important step to ensure Meta complies."
