Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms (META) could allow European users to opt out of certain personalized ad content on the platforms, according to an exclusive report from the Wall Street Journal.
Thanks to a privacy order issued by the European Union, affected users will be able to adjust settings and set limits to the data used by the social media platforms to recommend advertisements.
Those who use Meta's new settings will still see targeted ads based on basic demographic information like age range and location. But the new features would prevent Meta from showing targeted ads based on user activity, such as videos or posts viewed.
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But the process of shielding your data from your ad displays isn't as simple as a change of settings. Reportedly, users who want their in-app activity excluded from their ads will have to submit an online form explaining why they object to Meta's data use for ads.
As for the criteria that will see a user's form submission approved, neither Meta nor the Journal addresses the topic.
Meta's use of data in the U.S. hasn't seen nearly as much scrutiny as the China-based app TikTok, but the company has been ordered by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission to remove requirements for users' compulsory participation in activity-based data tracking for ad purposes.
In early January 2023, the regulator fined Meta the equivalent of 390 million euros ($432 million U.S.) for privacy infringement, denying the company's claim that its actions were protected by its Terms of Service.
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