Norway Urges Europe-Wide Ban on Meta's Targeted Ad Data Collection

A ban on mass Meta user data collection for advertising is set to expire next month in Norway, but privacy watchdogs are saying it should be made permanent — and extended across Europe.

Norway's Data Protection Board (EDPB) has accused Meta of violating the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulations.

"We believe that our temporary ban must be made permanent," the EDPB said in a recent statement. "Furthermore, we believe that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) must be interpreted consistently throughout the EU/EEA, and we ask for the ban to be extended to the rest of Europe."

Norway isn't a member of the European Union, but falls under the jurisdiction of Europe's high court, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which already ruled against Meta and its Facebook and Instagram platforms last July when it found the company was collecting protected data on race, religion, sexual orientation, and more.

Meta has already been paying fines across Europe, including about $94,000 per day to the EDPB, for running afoul of privacy rules, the Register reported.

A Meta spokesperson told the Register the company was "surprised" by the EDPB action, "given that Meta has already committed to moving to the legal basis of consent for advertising in the EU/EEA."