{"id":45541,"date":"2025-09-09T14:53:54","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T14:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/a-question-of-consent-meta-ads-and-the-eus-fight-for-digital-rights\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T07:58:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T07:58:51","slug":"une-question-de-consentement-meta-publicites-et-la-lutte-de-lue-pour-les-droits-numeriques","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/une-question-de-consentement-meta-publicites-et-la-lutte-de-lue-pour-les-droits-numeriques\/","title":{"rendered":"Une question de consentement : m\u00e9ta, publicit\u00e9s et la lutte de l&#39;UE pour les droits num\u00e9riques"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While digital sovereignty and data privacy dominate political debate in Europe, the European Commission is ramping up pressure on Big Tech. Meta\u2014the company behind Facebook and Instagram\u2014is now facing a formal EU investigation over whether its ad model violates the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu\/index_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital Markets Act (DMA)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meta claims it has changed its system to comply with the law. But according to the Commission, those changes are merely cosmetic. Beneath the legal arguments lies a deeper battle over what counts as \u201creal\u201d consent in the world of digital platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> Pay or be tracked? Meta\u2019s controversial new choice <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since November 2024, Meta has offered European users a binary option:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pay a monthly subscription for an ad-free experience, or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use the platform for free \u2014 but agree to ad tracking and data profiling.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This \u201cpay or be tracked\u201d model quickly caught the Commission\u2019s attention. Officials argued that such a choice contradicts the DMA\u2019s core aim: ensuring that users give freely given, informed, and meaningful consent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In April 2025, the Commission fined Meta \u20ac200 million, declaring that the choice was \u201cillusory\u201d and that users were being economically pressured into giving up their personal data just to access basic services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response, Meta lowered the subscription price by 40%, down to \u20ac7.99 per month. It also tweaked its consent forms and the wording used when users are asked to choose between options. However, the company hasn\u2019t disclosed full details of these changes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> Not good enough? The EU might hit Meta again <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meta was given until 27 June 2025 to fully comply with the Commission\u2019s ruling. But during a press briefing, Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier refused to confirm whether the changes met the required standards.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He added that daily penalties could be introduced starting 28 June if Meta doesn\u2019t meet the compliance threshold.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is not the first time Brussels has taken action against the \u201cconsent or pay\u201d model. Under the DMA, platforms labeled as gatekeepers \u2014 meaning they hold a dominant market position \u2014 must provide users with a genuine alternative.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key requirement? That users give explicit, unpressured consent for their personal data to be used for advertising purposes. No hidden strings. No economic blackmail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> Meta pushes back: \u00ab\u00a0This is discrimination\u00a0\u00bb <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meta isn\u2019t backing down. The company argues that its subscription model is legitimate and should be allowed under the same rules as any other business in Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a public statement, Meta accused the Commission of changing the rules mid-game and of targeting its business model simply because it\u2019s based in the US.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, Meta insists it is cooperating constructively and making good-faith efforts to adapt to evolving EU demands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> Less personalized ads \u2014 but is that enough? <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of Meta\u2019s compromises is to make ads in the free version less personalized, even for users who don\u2019t pay. But critics say this doesn\u2019t solve the real issue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even limited profiling still involves personal data \u2014 and the question remains: Can users truly give free consent when their access to a major social platform depends on it?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The DMA was designed to do more than just police ad practices. It aims to rebalance power in the digital economy \u2014 ensuring fair competition and protecting users\u2019 rights, not just profits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A user should be able to use a service without being forced to pay with their data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> DMA on trial: a major test for EU digital policy <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The case against Meta is one of the first big tests for the DMA, which took full effect in March 2024. The regulation doesn\u2019t ban targeted ads outright \u2014 but it does require clear and informed consent before companies can use personal data commercially.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the Commission\u2019s opponent is no small fish. Meta has vast legal and technical resources, and any EU decision could be challenged in court, all the way up to the European Court of Justice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the outcome matters far beyond one company. It could set a precedent for how user data can be monetized across Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> Europe\u2019s digital rules vs. Silicon Valley\u2019s business models <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the core of the dispute is a clash of digital cultures. Meta argues that Europe\u2019s strict rules stifle innovation and unfairly penalize non-European companies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, EU regulators stress that privacy cannot be optional. Consent must be real \u2014 not a clever checkbox, not an \u201caccept or pay\u201d trap.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meta may still appeal the Commission\u2019s decisions \u2014 but it now faces the risk of new fines that could be applied daily.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This battle over consent is more than a regulatory dispute. It may end up shaping the future of online business models \u2014 and our rights as digital citizens \u2014 in the years to come.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While digital sovereignty and data privacy dominate political debate in Europe, the European Commission is ramping up pressure on Big Tech. Meta\u2014the company behind Facebook and Instagram\u2014is now facing a formal EU investigation over whether [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":35381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[677],"tags":[9587,5397,9822,2000,2001,9065,5730,9823,9824,9825,9826,9827],"post_formats":[737],"coauthors":[3870],"class_list":["post-45541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-desinformation","tag-big-tech-fr","tag-data-protection-fr","tag-digital-privacy-fr","tag-digital-sovereignty-fr","tag-dma-fr","tag-eu-regulation-fr","tag-meta-fr","tag-online-advertising-fr","tag-platform-transparency-fr","tag-subscription-model-fr","tag-targeted-ads-fr","tag-user-consent-fr","post_formats-serie-darticles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/158"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45541"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45548,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45541\/revisions\/45548"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45541"},{"taxonomy":"post_formats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=45541"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=45541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}