Subj : ..the End of Targeted Ads To : All From : August Abolins Date : Mon Feb 20 2023 10:07 am https://gizmodo.com/facebook-instagram-targeted-ads-europe- privacy-ruling-1849860593 [By Thomas Germain, Published December 7, 2022] This Privacy Ruling Against Facebook and Instagram Could Spell the End of Targeted Ads A couple of excerpts: "Privacy regulators in the European Union have ruled that Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, can't make giving up data for targeted ads a condition of joining the social networks, according to reports published Tuesday in the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. The decision threatens to upend the social media giant's business model and alter the financial underpinnings of the internet. "Signing up for Facebook or Instagram means clicking past a privacy policy and consenting to the social networks' digital surveillance for advertising purposes. If you don't agree, you can't have an account. But the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) made up of all of Europe's privacy regulators issued a series of new decisions Monday reportedly declaring that this kind of coerced consent violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU's sweeping privacy law. [...] "An EU ruling only has a direct effect on businesses operating in the EU, but it's a sign that governments may finally be changing their tune when it comes to privacy. So far, lawmakers have been willing to pass privacy rules that make certain data practices more cumbersome for the business world, but this is the first time that a major government body has taken steps to curtail targeted ads outright. "But the GDPR serves as a model for the privacy laws in the United States and across the globe. If this strict interpretation of the law is successful-however you define success-it could hint at a far more private future. --- OpenXP 5.0.57 * Origin: A turtle that surfs the dark web. [o] A TORtoise (2:221/1.58) .