AGS NEWS – European consumer rights groups have accused Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of engaging in an extensive and unlawful data collection operation involving millions of users across the region.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), representing 45 consumer groups, announced on Thursday that eight of its member organizations are lodging complaints with their respective national data protection authorities.

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These complaints allege that Meta collects excessive user data, including information used to infer personal attributes such as sexual orientation, emotional state, and susceptibility to addiction, without obtaining proper consent.

The consumer groups argue that Meta’s practices violate various provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU’s landmark data privacy law.

In response, Meta has refuted the allegations, asserting its commitment to compliance with GDPR regulations and emphasizing its efforts to enhance privacy protections since 2019.

These latest complaints add to Meta’s ongoing legal challenges in Europe. Last year, the company was fined a record €1.2 billion for GDPR violations related to the transfer of Facebook user data to the United States.

Authorities in various European countries, including Norway and the Czech Republic, have acknowledged receipt of the complaints and expressed concerns about Meta’s data practices.

The Norwegian Data Protection Authority emphasized the importance of data protection as a fundamental right for all individuals and hoped that the complaints would prompt further regulatory scrutiny at the European level.

Meanwhile, the BEUC has criticized Meta’s subscription service, which offers ad-free versions of its platforms for a fee, arguing that it presents users with an unfair choice and lacks transparency regarding data processing practices.

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The organization previously filed a complaint asserting that Meta’s “pay-or-consent” approach constitutes an aggressive commercial practice prohibited by EU law.

Ursula Pachl, deputy director general of the BEUC, denounced Meta’s subscription service as a guise for continued data collection and monetization through targeted advertising, echoing concerns about user privacy and the company’s dominant market position.