Facebook and Instagram will allow you to disable ad tracking, but only in the EU and there is a catch

The Meta-fueled controversy train takes breaks here and there, but doesn’t really stop. A while back, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram was fined about $423 million dollars by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, which is the primary privacy regulator of the European Union (EU).

As you may have guessed, this was related to the way Meta was utilizing user-collected data. When the fine was officialized, the company pretty much threatened to have Facebook and Instagram removed from app stores in Europe.

I guess you’ve noticed how that never happened, so after that attempt failed, Meta had no other choice but to make some changes. And as reported by the Wall Street Journal, it looks like denizens of the EU will probably, maybe be allowed to disable ad tracking for their accounts.

And in typical Meta fashion, there is a catch. If you are interested in getting rid of those pesky ad trackers that are gulping up all of your preference statistics, then you’d have to submit a form, which basically acts like a plea to have you opt out of tracking.

Meta, however, reserves to the final call, as it will quote “evaluate the submission and decide whether to implement the change“. This is bound to get privacy activists roaring, not only because this leaves out the user’s choice in the hands of a corporation, but also because it means that users will still be opted in by default when making an account.

An important note to make here is that currently, you’ve got an option to disable a form of tracking on these social platforms, but that is entirely different. If you’ve got that toggled off, it basically limits Facebook — for example — from using data on you, gathered from your activity outside of the platform, for targeted advertising.

In contrast, this new opt-out form, if accepted after being submitted, will severely limit the data that the social platforms can use. As in, they’ll still use general, public info about you such as your age group and general location, but won’t track what is the last video you’ve liked on Facebook, YouTube or any other websites or apps.

This is a mixed bag of a solution if there ever was one, but it is still an attempt for Meta to stay relevant, despite all of the limitations being put down by regulators worldwide. Europeans should start seeing notifications for the ability to opt out starting next Wednesday, so if you are interested, keep your eyes peeled.