The EU has put Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) on notice over its "pay or consent" model for Facebook and Instagram, citing potential violations of consumer protection laws.
What Happened: The EU's Consumer Protection Cooperation or CPC Network has given Meta until Sept. 1, 2024, to propose changes to its "pay or consent" model, according to a blog post on Tuesday.
The EU has labeled the model as "misleading" and "confusing" for users, and non-compliance could lead to fines.
"Consumer protection authorities assessed several elements that could constitute misleading or aggressive practices, in particular, whether Meta provided consumers upfront with true, clear, and sufficient information," the union stated.
Meta's "pay or consent" model, rolled out last year, presents users with two choices: pay up to €12.99 (approximately $14.13) per month for ad-free usage of Facebook and Instagram or agree to the collection and use of personal data for personalized ads.
The CPC initiated its investigation in response to complaints from consumer watchdog groups. These groups alleged that Meta employs confusing language to describe the paid and "free" versions of its platforms.
Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments.
Why It Matters: This development follows Meta's decision to reduce the subscription fee for its ad-free Facebook and Instagram services in Europe to €5.99 ($6.5) from the initial €9.99 ($10.9).
This move was aimed at addressing growing concerns of privacy and antitrust regulators.
Last month, Meta faced a complaint in Norway for using user images and posts from Facebook and Instagram to train AI models.
The Norwegian Consumer Council argued that the opt-out process violates strict EU data protection laws and that Meta uses deceptive design patterns and vague language to make opting out difficult.
欧盟已就其Facebook和Instagram的 “付费或同意” 模式通知了Meta Platforms Inc.(纳斯达克股票代码:META),理由是可能违反消费者保护法。
发生了什么:根据周二的一篇博客文章,欧盟消费者保护合作组织(CPC)网络已允许Meta在2024年9月1日之前提议修改其 “付费或同意” 模式。
欧盟已将该模型标记为对用户 “具有误导性” 和 “令人困惑”,不合规可能会导致罚款。
该工会表示:“消费者保护机构评估了可能构成误导性或侵略性行为的几个因素,特别是 Meta 是否事先向消费者提供了真实、清晰和足够的信息。”
去年推出的 Meta 的 “付费或同意” 模式为用户提供了两种选择:每月支付高达12.99欧元(约合14.13美元)的无广告使用Facebook和Instagram或同意收集和使用个人数据进行个性化广告。
CPC 启动调查是为了回应消费者监督组织的投诉。这些组织称,Meta 在描述其平台的付费和 "免费 "版本时使用了混淆性语言。
Meta 没有立即回应 Benzinga 的评论请求。
为何重要:这一事态发展是在Meta决定将其在欧洲的无广告Facebook和Instagram服务的订阅费从最初的9.99欧元(10.9美元)降至5.99欧元(6.5美元)之后发生的。
此举旨在解决隐私和反垄断监管机构日益增长的担忧。
上个月,Meta因使用来自Facebook和Instagram的用户图片和帖子来训练人工智能模型而在挪威面临投诉。
挪威消费者委员会认为,选择退出程序违反了严格的欧盟数据保护法,Meta 使用欺骗性的设计模式和模糊的语言使选择退出变得困难。