Meta accused of breaking European law with its ‘pay or consent' model

Facebook parent company Meta has allegedly violated Europe’s new digital competition rules with its ‘pay or consent’ advertising model. The European Commission has preliminarily found that Meta’s ‘Subscription for no ads’ service does not offer users an equivalent version without personalized ads. If confirmed, Meta could face a fine of up to 10% of its global annual revenue, equivalent to $13.5 billion. Meta has disputed the Commission’s findings and stated that its subscription service complies with regulations. The European Commission is currently investigating other tech giants, including Apple and Google. The Commission aims to empower users to have more control over their personal data and advertising preferences.