FACEBOOK owner Meta says it is “looking at plans” to start charging Brits to use the site.
The tech giant, which also owns Instagram, added that the apps remain “free for British consumers because of personalised advertising”.
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However, Meta recently stopped using targeting adverts at user Tanya O’Carroll after she filed a lawsuit against Facebook for using her personal data for direct marketing purposes.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said that “organisations must respect people’s choices about how their data is used”, adding that it would “continue to engage with Meta on this issue”.
Ms O’Carroll wrote on LinkedIn: “In settling my case, Meta has agreed to stop processing my personal data for direct marketing purposes. In non-legalese, that means I will no longer be shown surveillance-ads on Facebook.
“I believe this is a victory not just for me but for every UK and EU citizen as it paves the way for the right to object to be used to stand up to surveillance-advertising across the web.
“I applaud the ICO for their rational and principled application of the law in their intervention in my case and for publicly confirming they will back up other UK citizens who wish to exercise their right to object in the context of online targeted ads.”
A Meta spokesperson said the company “fundamentally disagrees” with Tanya’s claims, saying “no business can be mandated to give away its services for free.
The company already offers an advert-free subscription to EU users, and it may now extend this to the UK.
Adding that Meta is “pleased to draw a line under this long-running case”, the spokesperson added: “We take our UK GDPR obligations seriously and provide robust settings and tools for users to control their data and advertising preferences.
“Facebook and Instagram cost a significant amount of money to build and maintain, and these services are free for British consumers because of personalised advertising.
“Like many internet services, we are exploring the option of offering people based in the UK a subscription and will share further information in due course.”
An ICO spokesperson added: “People have the right to object to their personal information being used for direct marketing, and we have been clear that online targeted advertising should be considered as direct marketing.
“Organisations must respect people’s choices about how their data is used. This means giving users a clear way to opt out of their data being used in this way.
“If people believe that an organisation is not complying with their request to stop processing their data, they can file a complaint to us. We will continue to engage with Meta on this issue.”
FACE IT
It comes after Facebook users were warned that beloved video memories face being deleted unless they act soon.
The social networking giant is making changes to how Facebook Live videos are kept on the platform.
Until now, people could relive memories shown to family and friends at any time via their profile.
But the Mark Zuckerberg-owned firm is adding a new life limit for them to be hosted on the platform.
From today, new Facebook Lives will only be available 30 days after they were broadcast.
After that, they will be automatically deleted.
