The European Commission (EC) recognised Meta’s commitment to provide users with the ability to reduce the amount of personal data used for targeted advertising on Facebook and Instagram, a move intended to resolve issues related to the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Under the plan Meta will give users a choice between consenting to share all of their data to enable personalised advertising, or opting to share less and limit the volume of targeted advertising.

“The European Commission acknowledges Meta’s undertaking to offer users in the EU an alternative choice of Facebook and Instagram services that would show them less personalised ads, to comply with the Digital Markets Act,” the EC stated.

The two options will be available to users in the European Union from January 2026. After implementation, the EC will collect feedback and evidence from Meta and other stakeholders to assess the impact and adoption of the new model.

In April 2025 Meta came under fire for its consent-or-pay model rolled out in November 2023 across Facebook and Instagram, which forced users to choose between consenting to personal data usage or paying for an ad-free experience.

The set-up failed to offer an alternative that used less personal data, a measure required by the DMA. As a result, the EC slapped a €228 million fine on the social media giant.

Reuters reported the DMA violation applied to Facebook and Instagram from November 2023 to November 2024.