Norway’s data protection agency announced on Monday that it will prohibit Facebook and Instagram owner Meta from using users’ personal information for targeted advertising. If Meta continues to do so, it will face a fine of $100,000 per day.
In Europe, US big tech companies are facing increasing scrutiny over privacy concerns, resulting in significant fines in recent years.
The Norwegian watchdog, Datatilsynet, stated that Meta uses users’ location, liked content, and posts for marketing purposes, which it considers illegal. As a result, it is imposing a temporary ban on behavioral advertising on Facebook and Instagram. The ban will start on August 4 and last for three months, allowing Meta time to make necessary changes. Failure to comply will result in a daily fine of one million kroner ($100,000).
Meta responded to the decision by saying, “We will analyze the decision… but there is no immediate effect on our services.”
The Norwegian regulator clarified that the ruling does not ban Facebook and Instagram from operating in the country, nor does it impose a complete ban on behavioral advertising.
The Austrian digital privacy campaign group noyb, which has lodged several complaints against Meta’s activities, welcomed the decision and hopes that data regulators in other countries will follow suit.
Meta previously faced a major setback earlier this year when European regulators rejected the legal basis it used to justify collecting users’ personal data for targeted advertising. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) also rejected Meta’s workarounds and empowered antitrust regulators to consider data privacy issues.
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