European Commission coordinates action by national consumer protection authorities against Meta on ‘pay or consent' model

The Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network sent a letter following concerns that Meta's ‘pay or consent' model might breach European Union consumer law. The European Commission coordinated this action which is led by the French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention. The action started in 2023, immediately after Meta had requested consumers overnight to either subscribe to use Facebook and Instagram against a fee or to consent to Meta's use of their personal data to be shown personalised ads, allowing Meta to make revenue out of it (‘pay or consent'). Consumer protection authorities assessed several elements that could constitute misleading or aggressive practices, in particular whether Meta provided consumers upfront with true, clear and sufficient information.