Social news
‘Huge blow for Meta’ as EU’s top court sinks legal basis for targeted advertising on Facebook 🎯
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has delivered a significant ruling that could potentially disrupt Meta's (formerly Facebook) core business model of targeted advertising. The court's decision could lead to a German ban on Meta's practice of combining user data from its platforms (WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook) for personalized advertising.
The CJEU's ruling could also undermine Meta's remaining legal justification for providing targeted advertising in the EU. With Meta also facing a potential ban on exporting Europeans' personal data to the U.S., its future in the region is uncertain. This ruling could have broad implications across the tech sector, as many other companies rely on similar justifications for their advertising practices.
The case dates back to 2019 when the German antitrust authority, the Bundeskartellamt, decided that Facebook was abusing its dominant position in the social networking market by combining data from different platforms to provide more targeted advertising. The regulator argued that Facebook was not truly obtaining users' voluntary consent for this extensive profiling, thus breaking the terms of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and illegally using its power as a market leader.
The CJEU confirmed that competition authorities could consider a company's compliance with other laws, such as the GDPR, when deciding if the company is breaking antitrust laws. This decision could have major implications for the future of antitrust and privacy enforcement in the EU.
The ruling also asserts that without real consent from the user, Meta can't claim it has a "legitimate interest" in processing people's data for personalized advertising. This is significant because under the GDPR, companies must claim some legal basis if they want to process Europeans' personal data. The court rejected Meta's claim that it has a "legitimate interest" in processing people's personal data for ad targeting, stating that real user consent is needed for this profiling.
Privacy campaigners have welcomed the ruling, stating that it clarifies that various legal theories by the industry to bypass the GDPR are null and void. The ruling is seen as a significant blow for Meta and other online advertising companies.
fortune.com
New features
Create your personal invite with countdown for Threads 🆕
Want a personal invite and countdown to the launch of Threads, Meta's alternative to Twitter.
Search 'Threads' on Insta, then click golden ticket.
Set reminder if you wish.
Switch between 'Not personalised' and 'For you' in Instagram Explore 🔄
Instagram now has a “Not personalized” filter also for the “Explore” section.
Users switch between “For you” and “Not personalized”.
Thanks to Radu Oncescu for this one.
Threads now showing on Google Play 🆕
Threads is now available on Google Play (already available on Apple's App Store).
Don't worry about the "This app is not available for any of your devices" message or similar. This will change tomorrow.
Note that Threads will, for now, not be available in the EU and Ireland.
Tips
5 tips on using ChatGPT to enhance small business marketing 🤖
five ways small businesses can use ChatGPT to enhance their marketing efforts - exclusive to members of Pollinger Social Club.
Not yet a member? Sign-up for immediate access plus the following benefits:
✅Social Media shout-out promoting your business to 17,000+ potential customers
✅Request bespoke 'how to' videos on any social network feature
✅Direct Message me unlimited questions on any aspect of social media or on problems you encounter
✅Top social media tips on slide decks or pdf
✅Zoom call lasting up to 30 mins on social media best practice
Optimisation audit of 3 social networks
✅Monthly performance reports of 3 social networks with graphs + key performance indicators (KPIs)
✅Membership of Pollinger Social Club Group on Facebook
✅Reduced risk of losing access to you Facebook Page
✅Exclusive regular social media tips
Benefits listed are for Social Superstar membership
ko-fi.com
Social Mind: Social and AI Insights
Welcome to Wednesday and today's social media news 🙌
The European Union's top court has ruled that Meta's core business model of targeted advertising is illegal and means that Meta will likely be banned from combining data from its different platforms to provide targeted advertising in Germany and possibly elsewhere in the EU.
Threads is launching tomorrow and I'll be on BBC Hereford and Worcester at 11am on Thursday talking about Threads, Meta's alternative to Twitter.
Have a productive day!
JP
All my links📞Call/WhatsApp on 029 2078 9139