The consumer association UFC-Que Choisir announced on Thursday that it had filed a complaint with the CNIL against Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram. According to her, the company does not respect the GDPR with the establishment of its paid subscription.
Along with seven other European associations, the UFC-Que Choisir indicated that it had filed a complaint, Thursday February 29, 2024, against the American giant Meta, which it accuses of violating the provisions of the GDPR, the general data protection regulation. , with its new paid subscription. The Federal Consumers’ Union believes that the company conditions the refusal to collect users’ personal data on the new paid subscription offered on Facebook and Instagram. And that’s not all.
Data collection which, at Meta, would go beyond what is necessary
After being singled out by European court decisions for illegal data collection, Meta now offers a paid subscription supposed to allow you to refuse the processing of your personal data. As a reminder, the Meta Verified offer costs 13.99 euros/month in the desktop version and 16.99 euros/month if subscribed from an iOS or Android mobile.
This offer is nevertheless singled out by European consumer associations for requiring users to pay to refuse this processing, which raises concerns about the compliance of the offer with the GDPR.
The complaint states that for users, it is simply impossible to measure the impact of Meta’s data processing, making any consent ultimately ineffective. The company’s practices would even go beyond what is necessary in this area, which would violate the principles of the European regulation which requires informed and free consent for the collection and processing of personal data.
UFC-Que Choisir accuses Facebook and Instagram of using spy technologies to profile its users
UFC-Que Choisir also highlights Meta’s ambiguous communication, which presents users with a generic list of advertising topics, while companies benefit, in return, from powerful targeting technology based on algorithms. It is this contradiction which, according to the associations, requires Meta to clarify its practices and comply with the GDPR.
The European text requires companies to limit the collection and processing of personal data to what is strictly necessary. But Meta would aspire to all the data possible, using language that would reveal only part of its practices. UFC-Que Choisir explains that Mark Zuckerberg’s company uses spy technologies to constantly profile consumers, analyzing their activities, geolocation, personality, emotions and behaviors in real time. Massive practices of intrusion into the privacy of users which are in total contradiction with the principles of the GDPR.
The UFC-Que Choisir has filed a complaint with the National Commission for Information Technology and Liberties, which it officially asks to “ force Meta to comply with the rules and principles of the GDPR “.
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- Category: Social Networks
Facebook is the first social network to be a hit. It allows you to stay in touch with your friends and loved ones, in all circumstances. Accessible from the web or from a smartphone via the Android and iOS application, the platform has more than three billion registered users.
Facebook is the first social network to be a hit. It allows you to stay in touch with your friends and loved ones, in all circumstances. Accessible from the web or from a smartphone via the Android and iOS application, the platform has more than three billion registered users.
Source : UFC-Que Choisir
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