- Meta responds nicely to DMA with new data collection policy for EU customers
- Options for personalized or generic ads are now both available
- The European Commission will continue to monitor the uptake
Meta is set to offer European Facebook and Instagram users a reduced data sharing option for less personalized ads from January 2026, marking a satisfactory resolution to a months-long DMA battle with the European Commission.
Under the new EU model, users can choose between full data sharing for highly personalized ads and reduced data sharing for more generic ads.
The update would replace the previous “consent or pay” model that forced users to either accept data tracking and personalized ads or to pay for ad-free access.
This news comes about half a year after Meta was hit with a fine of €200 million (in April 2025) in connection with this case. The amount was related to affected users between March 2024 (when the DMA obligations became legally binding) and November 2024 (when the updated advertising model was introduced to allow less data sharing).
“Enabling free business and consumer choice is at the heart of the rules in the Digital Markets Act. This includes, among other things, ensuring that citizens have full control over when and how their data is used online, and that companies can freely communicate with their own customers,” wrote Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy EVP Henna Virkkunen at the time.
An updated model has been approved following revisions and the EU is set to continue monitoring for compliance. “Once implemented, the Commission will seek feedback and evidence from Meta and other relevant stakeholders on the impact and uptake of this new advertising model,” the European Commission wrote.
Without access to highly personal information, Meta’s ads will rely on contextual targeting, which means backend engineering to collect different types of data in other ways.
For advertisers, this could mean they see weaker returns as targeting becomes less effective among users who have opted out.
“Users in the EU must have full and effective choice, which is their right under the DMA,” the Commission commented.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
