The move comes after the European Commission accused the US social media giant in July of breaching the bloc’s digital rules with its “pay or consent” system, which meant users had to pay to avoid data collection or agree to -share your data with Facebook and Instagram to keep. using the platforms for free.

“Today, we’re announcing important changes to Facebook and Instagram in the EU… people who choose to continue using our services for free will now be able to choose to see less personalized ads,” Meta said in a statement. on his website.

Meta said that in the coming weeks, EU users will have the choice to see “less personalized ads” when using Facebook and Instagram.

“This less personalized ads option is based on less data, so we’ll only show ads based on context — what a person sees in a given session on Facebook and Instagram — and a minimal set of data points, including a person’s age and location. , gender and how a person interacts with ads,” Meta said.

Meta launched its paid service last year without ads or requiring users to consent to data collection and targeted ads to comply with the EU’s new Digital Markets Act.

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However, Brussels has opposed the pay-for-privacy model, and Meta faced a fine of up to 10% of its global revenue if it did not find an alternative to address EU regulators’ concerns.

Meta also announced a 40% discount on its smartphone ad-free subscription to €7.99 ($8.50) per month. Web subscriptions drop to 5.99 euros per month.

“Less invasive ads are great news,” said Anu Talus, head of the European Data Protection Board, which ensures consistent enforcement of EU data protection regulations.

He also criticized Meta’s pay-for-privacy model, saying data privacy is a fundamental right that should not become a paid option for social media users.

“While the solution still needs to be evaluated, we welcome the fact that a major platform is announcing that it will offer a new free choice with less detailed profiles for advertising,” Talus said in a statement posted on her LinkedIn page.

Last month, the EU’s top court ruled that Meta must limit its use of personal data for targeted advertising.