customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Associated Press

European Union regulators accused social media company Meta Platforms on Monday of breaching the bloc’s new digital competition rule book by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them.
Meta began giving European users the option in November of paying for ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram as a way to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules.
Users can pay at least 10 euros (US$10.75) a month to avoid being targeted by ads based on their personal data.
The US tech giant rolled out the option after the European Union’s top court ruled Meta must first get consent before showing ads to users, in a decision that threatened its business model of tailoring ads based on individual users’ online interests and digital activity.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said preliminary findings of its investigation show that Meta’s “pay or consent” advertising model was in breach of the 27-nation bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Meta’s model does not allow users to exercise their right to “freely consent” to allowing their personal data from its various services, including Facebook, Instagram, Marketplace, WhatsApp and Messenger, to be combined to target them with personalised online ads, the commission said.
Meta’s model also does not give users the option of a service that is less personalised but still equivalent to its social networks, it said.
“Subscription for no ads follows the direction of the highest court in Europe and complies with the DMA,” Meta said in a statement. “We look forward to further constructive dialogue with the European Commission to bring this investigation to a close.”
The commission had opened its investigation shortly after the rule book took effect in March. It is a sweeping set of regulations aimed at preventing tech “gatekeepers” from cornering digital markets under threat of heavy financial penalties.
One of the DMA’s goals is to rein in the power of Big Tech companies that have collected vast amounts of personal data on their users, giving them an edge on rivals competing in online ad or social media services.
The commission indicated that in order for Meta to comply, it would like to see an option that does not rely on a user’s full personal information being shared for advertising.
“The DMA is there to give back to the users the power to decide how their data is used and ensure innovative companies can compete on equal footing with tech giants on data access,” European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who oversees the bloc’s digital policy, said in a statement.

Meta now has a chance to respond to the commission, which must wrap up its investigation by March 2025. The company could face fines worth 10 per cent of its annual global revenues, which could run into the billions of euros.
Under the DMA, Meta is classed as one of seven online gatekeepers while Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and its online ad business are among two dozen “core platform services” that need the highest level of scrutiny.
Monday’s decision is the latest in flurry of regulatory activity by Brussels targeting Big Tech companies.
The EU levelled its first charges under the DMA a week ago, accusing Apple of preventing app makers from pointing users to cheaper options outside its App Store.
It also recently charged Microsoft with violating the bloc’s antitrust laws by bundling its Teams messaging and videoconferencing app with its widely used Office business software.


US FTC slams Meta, TikTok and Twitch for ‘woefully inadequate’ data policies

US FBI strikes second Chinese hacking group ‘Flax Typhoon’

Hong Kong police warn cybercrime targeting children; city logs 900 ‘naked chat’, scam cases

TikTok faces crucial court hearing that could decide fate in US

Cybersecurity

EU accuses Facebook owner Meta of breaking digital rules with paid ad-free option

Meta Platforms breached the Digital Markets Act by forcing users to to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them, EU regulators say. Photo: AP Photo

The Meta sign outside the headquarters of the Facebook parent company in Mountain View, California. Photo: Reuters

Chinese teen in Alibaba maths finals sparks awe, controversy after beating MIT students

A 17-year-old vocational school student from rural China became a celebrity on social media after reaching the final round of Alibaba’s annual maths competition. Photo: Weibo

Damo Academy, Alibaba’s research arm, has hosted the Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition since 2018. Photo: Weibo

In a joint letter sent to the competition’s organising committee, 39 other finalists complained of “writing mistakes” made by Jiang Ping in a video released by Damo Academy. Photo: Weibo

Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei makes rare appearance at Sichuan University in search for talent

Signage at a Huawei store in Shanghai on May 3, 2024. Photo: Bloomberg

Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei in an interview in Taiyuan, northern Shanxi province, on February 9, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

Huawei says its AI chip better than Nvidia’s A100 amid China’s self-reliance drive

A Huawei shop in the Huangpu district in Shanghai, China. Photo: AFP

The main exhibition hall of the World Semiconductor Conference taking place in Nanjing, eastern China. Photo: Che Pan

As Huawei looks towards more advanced semiconductors, speculation swirls on how far it can push existing chip-making gear

Huawei’s Kirin 9000s processor used in the Mate 60 Pro has led to close scrutiny of how the sanctioned company is advancing its chip designs without access to the most cutting-edge equipment. Photo: Huawei Technologies

Tech war: dreams die for bankrupt Chinese semiconductor start-up Woodson

Woodson is the latest tech start-up in China that failed to reach its potential in the semiconductor industry. Photo: Xinhua

The landing page of Shanghai Wusheng Semiconductor Group’s website. Photo: SCMP

Tech

Big Tech

Policy

Business

Companies

News

World

Europe

The company could face fines worth 10 per cent of its annual global revenues for breaching the Digital Markets Act


The company could face fines worth 10 per cent of its annual global revenues for breaching the Digital Markets Act.
