Major EU Regulator Threatens Free Social Media by Cracking Down on Personalized Advertising

In a ruling issued on April 17, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) issued a decision that could unravel the very viability of social media company business models. The technical, inside- baseball nature of the case involving advertising and data privacy means it has flown under the radar but nonetheless presents a dangerous precedent that uniquely targets American tech companies. So first, what is going on in this case? In the EU, the sprawling General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) places many demands on companies in how they manage the data of users, including requiring users to consent to the use of their data. As a result, Meta decided it would offer users two ways to use its platforms: Users have the free, standard method, in which their user data is collected to create personalized and tailored ads.