Internet
Data protection advocates are critical of paid subscriptions to Facebook
The Facebook parent company Meta had announced an ad-free version of the network for customers in Germany, among others. photo
© Christophe Gateau/dpa
In the future, Facebook will provide an ad-free version of the network – for a fee. However, data collection continues, criticize data protection advocates.
The Hessian state data protection officer Alexander Roßnagel has announced the paid subscription for ad-free use Facebook and Instagram criticized as deceptive packages. The planned selection options did not meet the legal requirements, he said in an interview with the German Press Agency in Wiesbaden.
The Facebook parent company Meta had announced an ad-free version of the network for customers in Germany, among others. The price for Facebook without advertising should start at 9.99 euros per month. Anyone who accepts personalized ads can continue to use the networks free of charge. With the paid subscriptions, Meta is reacting to the changing data protection situation in Europe following court rulings and decisions by regulators.
Storage of user data
“Facebook is not changing anything about its data collection,” criticized Roßnagel. Extensive user data would continue to be stored, even if you paid 9.99 euros. “Then you just won’t see any more advertising.” The data protection officer explained that Facebook cannot or does not want to change its system to collect all data from users and compile them into profiles. “But the user is led to believe that he is not being tracked because he is paying.” According to Roßnagel’s assessment, the requirements from the court rulings are not met.
Even if the use with advertising was consented to, the question remains: Is the consent correct under data protection law? This is only the case if the content of the consent is informed and if it is voluntary, explained Roßnagel. The expert sees neither of these being fulfilled.
This means that important information about the collection of data is not provided. Roßnagel also cannot recognize voluntariness. “When I have used Facebook in the past, I am essentially dependent on this infrastructure; I have my acquaintances there, my friends, and perhaps have work processes running through it,” explained the data protection officer.
Message from Meta
“That’s why the blanket vote or approval is not a place where you can express your free will, but rather it is a basic decision whether I want to live with or without Facebook,” said Roßnagel. That is not enough for voluntary action.
“All Facebook users, whether as site operators or as visitors, are still confronted with unlawful data processing,” he criticized and advises, for example, restaurants or clubs that maintain contact with customers or members via social media to switch to other networks such as Mastodon . In addition, it is now quite cheap to run your own homepage.
At the dpa’s request, Meta referred to a communication dated December 4, 2023. It stated that user data would be kept private and secure in accordance with its own guidelines and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. “If a person chooses to subscribe, they will not see advertising and we will not process their data for personalized advertising,” the statement said.