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EU officials say Meta may be violating consumer laws with paid 'ad-free' plan

Meta is facing further scrutiny from the EU over its "pay or consent" advertising model in Europe. Officials say the company may have broken consumer laws with its "misleading" approach.

Officials have also taken aim at Meta's "imprecise terms and language" that suggest subscribers will not see ads at all, even though those still might be displayed "when engaging with content shared via Facebook or Instagram by other members of the platform." Meta introduced its "pay or consent" options last year in an attempt to comply with the EU's data protection laws while maintaining its advertising model. CPC officials say they are concerned that "many consumers might have been exposed to undue pressure to choose rapidly" between consenting to data collection or paying a monthly fee, "fearing that they would instantly lose access to their accounts and their network of contacts."

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