I=8 Meta to offer EU users a less-personalized ads option, says EU Commission
The EU Commission said Meta has agreed to give EU users a choice between consenting to data sharing and receiving fully personalized ads, or using the service with a less-personalized ads option.
“Meta will give users the effective choice between: consenting to share all their data and seeing fully personalized advertising, and opting to share less personal data for an experience with more limited personalized advertising. Meta will present these new options to users in the EU in January 2026,” EU Commission said in a statement.
The commission said once implemented, it will seek feedback and evidence from Meta and other stakeholders on the impact and uptake of this model.
The Financial Times reported in October that Meta and the EU Commission were nearing a deal on the “pay or consent” model.
Assessment
This is the same model that Meta introduced in November 2024 and which the EU Commission said in April 2025 that it was examining it to see if it meets the requirement of the DMA. In July, the commission said that the changes made by Meta appeared limited and needed further reworking. My earlier projection was that Meta would introduce an option without personalized ads but with non-skippable ad breaks. Therefore, this seems like good news. The problem is that users might test the feature in the short-term to see if it’s advantageous, which could lead to revenue headwind.
Do you think it is a very similar model to the one in Nov 2024 or is it likely that a lot of changes on the details have been made and for example it forces Meta to present the choice in a way that will lead many users to decide for the less personalized option or the less personalized option will be very bad as almost no data can be used?
If the less-personalized ads model has been in effect since November 2024 and has not materially affected Meta’s earnings so far, then today’s announcement could be positive. However, it’s also possible that user access of the option has been low up to this point, and making the choice more visible could introduce new headwinds.
I=6 EU Commission said Meta breached EU antitrust rules by excluding usage of third party Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) assistants in WhatsApp
EU Commission said its preliminary investigation indicate Meta breached EU antitrust rules by excluding third party Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) assistants.
It plans to impose interim measures to prevent Meta’s policy change from causing “serious and irreparable harm” on the market , subject to Meta’s reply and rights of defense.
Meta banned third-party AI assistants in WhatsApp in October 2025 and the EU Commission opened formal proceedings in December 2025.
EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera said in a Bloomberg interview that Meta risks a temporary ban in the EU (Min: 1:00).
