Once again, the European Union has issued a ruling preventing Meta from excessive use of user information, particularly for ad targeting purposes. The top court in the EU mandated limits on how long Meta and other social media platforms can retain people’s information for advertising strategies, following an earlier opinion in April by a court adviser. These rulings align with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) established by the EU in 2018, which includes guidelines for the right to be forgotten, rectification, and erasure of personal data. Failure to comply with GDPR could result in significant financial penalties, such as the $414 million fine Meta had to pay last year for illegally imposing personalized ads on users of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta, along with other tech giants like Apple and Google, has faced scrutiny by the EU over the use of personal data in relation to the Digital Markets Act, with pending fines for violations such as requiring users to pay to prevent data collection and sharing. The EU’s Court of Justice has also ruled that Meta must obtain consent before delivering personalized ads to users in the region.
