Norway has taken a decisive stand against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, by slapping it with a daily $100,000 fine for breaching advertising rules. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority found Meta guilty of conducting “illegal behavioral advertising,” utilizing user data collected through surveillance without their consent.
Starting from August 4, the ban on Meta will be in effect for three months, unless the company can demonstrate compliance with the law.
Tobias Judin, an official at the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, clarified that the ban aims to protect users while not entirely hindering the platforms’ operations.
The main concern raised by the regulator is Meta’s practice of showing personalized ads based on users’ private online activity and location without explicit consent. Such invasive commercial surveillance for marketing purposes poses one of the most significant risks to data protection and must be halted.
Notably, Norway becomes the first European country to take such significant measures to limit Meta’s ad-driven business model following a ruling by the top EU court. Meanwhile, the Irish Data Protection Commission is closely monitoring Meta’s compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Meta remains engaged with the Irish Data Protection Commission and intends to review the Norway DPA’s decision. As of now, there is no immediate impact on Meta’s services.
As regulatory scrutiny intensifies, Meta faces increasing pressure to align its practices with privacy standards to avoid further penalties.
