“When 3 percent of people want to swim but 99.9 percent fall into the water, even a child understands that this is not a “free” choice.” Max Schrems, president of the Noyb association, did not go out of his way to condemn Facebook and Instagram’s new paid subscription, which has been available in Europe since the beginning of the month. There is no doubt that this new formula is completely illegal from the point of view of the organization that protects the privacy of Internet users.
The association announced on its website that it had filed a complaint against Meta following the installation of this €12.99 monthly subscription, which allows you to delete all ads on Facebook and Instagram. This is not Noyb’s first attempt. In 2021, the organization had already issued a notice to more than 500 sites that prevented users from refusing to track cookies. Today, Noyb still relies on European law to defend the rights of Internet users.
According to this association, subscribing to Facebook and Instagram is illegal
Last July, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) required Meta to obtain consent to collect users’ personal data for advertising purposes. The group later considered circumventing this measure by introducing its paid formula. However, according to Noyb, consent is not free here because the conditions are imposed by the company. Additionally, according to the association, only 3% of Internet users are not bothered by advertising cookies.
But that doesn’t mean they’re willing to pay to escape tracking from web giants. On the contrary: 99% say they would never pay to prevent their personal data from being collected. With its annual subscription of €250, Noyb therefore believes that Meta does not offer freedom of choice to its users and fears that this formula will give bad ideas to the competition.
Source : Noyb
