A Human Rights Campaigner Successfully Stops Meta from Using Her Data for Targeted Advertising
After a long legal battle, human rights campaigner Tanya O’Carroll has achieved a significant victory against social media giant Meta. She has managed to force Meta to stop using her data for targeted advertising, following a settlement to an individual challenge she brought against the company in 2022.
O’Carroll’s argument was based on the legal right to object to the use of personal data for direct marketing, as outlined in U.K. and E.U. data protection laws. She contended that once a user objects to the processing of their data for marketing purposes, companies like Meta must respect that objection and cease tracking and profiling to serve microtargeted ads.
Meta, however, disputed this claim, arguing that its “personalized ads” did not fall under the category of direct marketing. The case was scheduled to be heard in the English High Court, but the settlement between O’Carroll and Meta brought an end to the legal proceedings.
For O’Carroll, this settlement represents a personal victory. Meta is now obligated to refrain from using her data for ad targeting when she uses its services. She believes that this outcome sets a precedent for others to assert their right to object to direct marketing and demand privacy protection from tech giants.
O’Carroll expressed mixed feelings about the settlement, acknowledging that while she achieved her goal of proving the applicability of the right to object to targeted advertising, Meta did not admit liability in the case.
Enforcing privacy laws against surveillance-based advertising models like Meta’s has been a challenging task despite the existence of comprehensive regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). O’Carroll’s legal challenge highlighted the difficulties in holding companies accountable for their data practices.
Despite facing numerous GDPR fines, Meta’s fundamental business model of consentless surveillance has remained largely unchanged. However, O’Carroll’s successful challenge demonstrates that pushback against privacy violations is possible and can lead to positive outcomes.
O’Carroll also pointed out that the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) supported her case, indicating a willingness to intervene on behalf of users who object to data processing by companies like Meta. This support could empower other individuals to take similar actions against privacy violations.
Looking ahead, O’Carroll anticipates that Meta may adopt a “pay or consent” model in the U.K., similar to its approach in the EU. This model would require users to either consent to tracking and profiling or pay for ad-free services.
While specific details of the tracking-free access provided by Meta to O’Carroll remain confidential, she confirmed that she will not have to pay for this service.
