Meta’s behavioral ads banned in Norway

The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (DPA), the country’s data privacy watchdog, has banned behavioral advertising on Meta’s social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.

The ban prohibits the practice unless the company obtains the explicit consent of Norwegian users to process their personal data.

Meta extensively monitors user actions, meticulously tracking their activities on its platforms, according to the Norwegian DPA.

The company uses content preferences, the information you post to Facebook and Instagram, and your location information to create personalized profiles that facilitate targeted advertising, a tactic commonly known as behavioral advertising.

Failure to comply with the decision would carry a daily fine of approximately $100,000, as required by the Norwegian DPA.

While this is only a temporary three-month ban starting August 4 (due to the agency’s limited authority), the privacy watchdog says it is considering contacting the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) to extend the decision beyond the initial three-month ban.

In December 2022, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Meta a total of €390 million ($438 million) for conducting illegal behavioral advertising, forcing Facebook and Instagram users to consent to the processing of personal data for targeted advertising.

The Irish DPC has also ordered Meta to bring its current data processing operations compliant with GDPR regulations within the next three months.

However, despite making some changes to comply with the Irish DPC’s December ruling, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) found that Meta’s GDPR approach to behavioral advertising remains largely unlawful.

Meta’s non-compliance is in line with the company’s statement after being fined in December. The company rejected the DPC findings and said it would appeal the fines, blaming the decision on a “lack of regulatory clarity.”

In November, Meta was fined another €265 million ($275.5 million) by the Irish data watchdog for failing to protect Facebook user data from scrapers after data linked to 533 million Facebook accounts was leaked on a cybercriminal forum.