Calay News
As of August 14, the Meta company will have to pay a daily fine of about 1 million NOK (about $97,000), according to the decision issued by the Norwegian data protection authority, Datatilsynet. The ban on “behavioral marketing on Facebook and Instagram” has been in place since July 14 and will remain in place for three months, according to Tobias Judin, head of the international section of Datatilsynet.
The Norwegian authority argues that Meta’s behavioral advertising involves intrusive surveillance of users, which violates their rights to privacy and freedom of information. They are also concerned about the use of sensitive personal data for marketing purposes, which they believe contravenes data protection laws. The decision was made due to Meta’s lack of corrective action as of August 4, despite having had the opportunity to do so.
Meta, for its part, has appealed the decision, stating that they had already announced the request for formal consent from users in the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland for the use of data in targeted advertising on social networks. They allege that they were committed to complying with the relevant regulations.
It is worth mentioning that Europe is a crucial market for Meta, with close to 300 million active daily users in the region in 2022, representing around a fifth of the group’s total ad sales, which reach 2 billion globally.
