European Union: Issued CPC Network preliminary findings as part of investigation into Meta's "pay or consent" compliance with EU consumer law

On 22 July 2024, the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network, led by the French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention and coordinated by the European Commission, initiated an investigation into Meta's "pay or consent" business model. The investigation began in 2023 to analyse Meta's approach of requiring consumers to either pay a subscription fee for using Facebook and Instagram or consent to the use of their personal data for personalised advertising. The investigation aims to determine if Meta's practices involve misleading or aggressive tactics by not providing clear, sufficient information for consumers to make informed choices and by pressuring them into rapid decisions, potentially breaching EU consumer law. The investigation is part of broader EU and national efforts examining Meta's compliance with various regulations, including the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Digital Services Act (DSA), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Meta has been given until 1 September 2024 to respond to the CPC Network's concerns and propose corrective measures.