Norway is imposing a ban on behavioral ads being shown to users of Facebook and Instagram.
As Politico reports, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority (NDPA) ordered Meta to cease showing ads to users that are selected based on tracking their web-browsing behavior and location. The ban will last for a period of three months, after which, Meta will only be allowed to display personalized ads selected based on the information provided by users in the "about" section of their profiles.
Failing to comply with the ban, which comes into force on Aug. 4, will see Meta incur a daily fine of roughly $100,000. As to why the NDPA is imposing the ban, the agency said it's because Meta's current advertising practices involve "processing of very private and sensitive personal data through highly opaque and intrusive monitoring and profiling operations."
In response, Matt Pollard, spokesperson for Meta, said:
"The debate around legal bases has been ongoing for some time and businesses continue to face a lack of regulatory certainty in this area ... We continue to constructively engage with the Irish DPC, our lead regulator in the EU, regarding our compliance with its decision. We will review the Norway DPA’s decision, and there is no immediate impact to our services."
Back in May, the EU hit Meta with a $1.3 billion fine for failing to protect EU citizens’ data from National Security Agency surveillance and violating a core principle of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The NDPA is the first regulator in the EU to attempt to restrict Meta's behavioral advertising practices, but the company still has time to try and find a way to legally comply with EU regulations while retaining the ability to show highly-targeted personalized ads.
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