Facebook and Instagram will ask users for permission before showing personalized ads

EC banned Meta from showing advertising based on collected personal data without the user's consent.

Reuters and The Wall Street Journal report that social media ads based on the analysis of large amounts of data can now be shown only with the consent of users. EU privacy regulators say Facebook and Instagram should not use their terms of service to require users to accept ads based on their digital activity.

The Irish data protection agency that oversees Meta has been given a month to resolve the situation in accordance with a binding decision from the European Data Protection Board.

At the same time, the company will be able to continue to use the general data, as well as ask for the consent of users for the processing of information. And according to The Wall Street Journal, the ruling was approved on Monday, but will allow the social media giant to appeal the decision.