The practice is being looked into by the company.
That you should be forced to pick between handing Meta and other major businesses your data or your money is something that the European Union does not believe should be the case. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) issued a statement in which it noted that “consent or pay” models frequently do not “comply with the requirements for valid consent” when a person is required to choose between sharing their data for the purposes of behavioral advertising or paying for privacy.
It is the contention of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) that large online platforms should not default to providing only a paid alternative to data collecting. Despite the fact that it does not issue a mandate, it emphasizes that these platforms should “give significant consideration” to the possibility of offering a free option that does not include data processing (or at least not as much). “Controllers should take care at all times to avoid transforming the fundamental right to data protection into a feature that individuals have to pay to enjoy,” EDPB Chair Anu Talus stated in a statement. “Individuals should be made fully aware of the value and the consequences of their choices.”
For the time being, customers in the European Union are required to pay €10 ($11) per month for an ad-free subscription or be compelled to give their data. The European Union (EU) has already begun an investigation to see whether or not this system is in accordance with the Digital Markets Act, which became mandated at the beginning of March.