Meta is forced to change ad policy in EU after penalty

(MENAFN) According to official statements from Brussels, Meta will revise its advertising framework across the European Union after being hit with a €200 million ($233 million) penalty earlier this year for violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Regulators ruled that the company had failed to give users a legitimate and meaningful choice regarding participation in personalized, data-driven advertising.

The European Commission announced on Monday that beginning next year, users throughout the bloc will be able to decline the sharing of their personal information for targeted ads. Officials said this adjustment will ensure consumers have “full and effective choice” in how their data is processed. Once the new system is in place, Brussels plans to gather input from Meta and other interested parties.

A Meta representative acknowledged the Commission’s announcement while insisting the company’s current model remains justified, arguing that “personalized ads are vital for Europe’s economy.” The spokesperson also stated that Meta believes its existing practices already satisfy DMA requirements.

This policy shift comes amid deepening friction between Washington and Brussels over digital oversight. US officials have criticized the EU’s increasingly assertive regulatory stance toward American tech firms, contending that the bloc is imposing excessive constraints on the industry.

The tensions escalated further this month when the EU issued its first-ever non-compliance ruling under the Digital Services Act, fining X—owned by Elon Musk—€120 million ($140 million) for alleged breaches related to deceptive interface design. In response, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the move as “an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people,” while Vice President J.D. Vance accused European regulators of targeting X “for not engaging in censorship.” Musk took to his platform to brand the EU a “bureaucratic monster” and argued it should be “abolished.”

EU leaders, however, have firmly defended their regulatory authority. The European Commission maintains that all companies operating within the bloc must adhere to uniform requirements on transparency, data protection, and consumer rights. European Council President Antonio Costa similarly emphasized that the EU’s digital governance model reflects its own democratic principles and interpretation of free speech.

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