BERLIN: Following years of discussions with the regulator, Meta (META.O) wants to create a new overview for users of its platforms Facebook and Instagram, according to Germany’s cartel office.
According to the office, Meta’s accounts centre would allow users to make “a largely free and informed decision” about using accounts like Instagram and Facebook together or separately.
According to a Meta representative, they have changed the Meta account summary to explain how their services function together more transparently and to allow customers more control over these features. The company will continue to work constructively with the authorities, according to the statement.
Facebook collecting users’ data
In 2019, the cartel office attempted to ban Meta, then Facebook, from combining user data from many sources without the users’ consent. Years of legal dispute ensued as a result of this. The European Union’s highest court is set to rule on the matter in July. The new Meta account administration function replaces an earlier method that the cartel office regarded as “seriously deficient” and that did not educate users in a neutral or transparent manner.
The office stated that its most recent assessment was based on standards created in 2019 and that it could not rule out the possibility of stricter measures being required to comply with German competition law. Germany is keeping a close eye on Meta after the regulator designated it as having “paramount significance for competition across markets,” a classification that provides the regulator more leeway in limiting the market power of digital companies.
