Meta shouldn't force users to pay for privacy: EU watchdog

The European Union's central data regulator said Wednesday that online platforms like Facebook owner Meta must not force users to pay for data privacy when offering ad-free subscriptions.

"Online platforms should give users a real choice when employing 'consent or pay' models. The models we have today usually require individuals to either give away all their data or to pay," the European Data Protection Board chair Anu Talus said in a statement.