Meta is considering a subscription option for UK Facebook users after it agreed to stop targeting a campaigner with adverts based on her personal data.
The technology company said the social network it owns and Instagram were “free for British consumers because of personalised advertising”.
It comes after Meta agreed to stop targeting adverts at human rights campaigner Tanya O’Carroll after she filed a lawsuit against Facebook’s collection of personal details.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said on Saturday that its position was that Meta was “processing Ms O’Carroll’s personal data for direct marketing purposes”.
It added that profiling related to those purposes meant Ms O’Carroll had the “absolute right to object to such processing” under UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The ICO said “organisations must respect people’s choices about how their data is used”, adding that it would “continue to engage with Meta on this issue”.
Ms O’Carroll wrote on LinkedIn: “In settling my case, Meta has agreed to stop processing my personal data for direct marketing purposes. In non-legalese, that means I will no longer be shown surveillance-ads on Facebook.
“I believe this is a victory not just for me but for every UK and EU citizen as it paves the way for the right to object to be used to stand up to surveillance-advertising across the web.
“I applaud the ICO for their rational and principled application of the law in their intervention in my case and for publicly confirming they will back up other UK citizens who wish to exercise their right to object in the context of online targeted ads.”
Meta said it was “pleased to draw a line under this long-running case”.
A spokesperson said: “We fundamentally disagree with the claims made by Ms O’Carroll, no business can be mandated to give away its services for free.
“We take our UK GDPR obligations seriously and provide robust settings and tools for users to control their data and advertising preferences.
“Facebook and Instagram cost a significant amount of money to build and maintain, and these services are free for British consumers because of personalised advertising.
“Like many internet services, we are exploring the option of offering people based in the UK a subscription and will share further information in due course.”
Meta already offers an advert-free subscription option to users in the EU.
An ICO spokesperson said: “People have the right to object to their personal information being used for direct marketing, and we have been clear that online targeted advertising should be considered as direct marketing.
“Organisations must respect people’s choices about how their data is used. This means giving users a clear way to opt out of their data being used in this way.
“If people believe that an organisation is not complying with their request to stop processing their data, they can file a complaint to us. We will continue to engage with Meta on this issue.”
