European Regulators Strike Blows Against the Ad Personalization Practices of Meta, Apple

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Ireland’s data privacy board, which serves as Meta’s primary regulator in the European Union, dealt the company a severe blow when it found that the company’s Facebook and Instagram had illegally forced users to effectively accept personalized ads in violation of the continent’s GDPR privacy law.

The decision, including a fine of 390 million euros ($414 million), can require Meta to make costly changes to its advertising-based business in the European Union, one of its largest markets. The case hinges on how Meta receives legal permission from users to collect their data for personalized advertising.

The Irish regulator said E.U. authorities had determined that placing the legal consent within the terms of service forced users to accept personalized ads. Meta has three months to outline how it will comply with the ruling. The decision does not specify what…