- Change in response to regulatory requirements.
- Data processing for behavioral advertising shifting to “Consent” basis.
- Advertisers can continue personalized campaigns after the change.
Meta will to ask European Union users for permission before letting businesses to target advertising based on what they see on its platforms like Facebook and Instagram, the social media giant announced on Tuesday.
The adjustment, according to Meta, is in response to a number of shifting regulatory requirements in the region, and originates from an order in January by Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner, Meta’s primary EU regulator, to examine the legal basis for how it targets adverts.
Users of Facebook and Instagram had effectively accepted to enable their data to be used in targeted advertising when they agreed to the terms and conditions of the platforms, until the regulator determined that it could not use personal information in that way.
“Today, we are announcing our intention to change the legal basis on which we process certain data for behavioural advertising for people in the EU, EEA (European Economic Area), and Switzerland from ‘Legitimate Interests’ to ‘Consent,” Meta wrote in a blog post.
“There is no immediate impact to our services in the region. Once this change is in place, advertisers will still be able to run personalised advertising campaigns to reach potential customers and grow their businesses. We have factored this change into our business outlook.”
Following further dialogue with authorities, Meta said it would give more information on how the process will function in practise in the coming months.
A spokeswoman for Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner, which is the principal privacy authority for many of the world’s leading digital companies within the EU, confirmed that Meta had contacted them about the situation.
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