Now Unlink Facebook and Instagram; The Catch? You Can Do It Only in Europe
While the move allows users to stop sharing their personal information across Meta’s services, it also has a downside.
- Meta has announced that it will allow its users in the EU to unlink their accounts from across its diverse services like Facebook and Instagram.
- The move comes as part of its efforts to comply with the DMA, which is expected to be enforced in March this year.
Technology giant Meta has finally agreed to allow some Facebook and Instagram users to unlink their accounts. This move comes as part of its efforts to comply with the European Union’s (EU) Digital Markets Act (DMA) ahead of its enforcement in March this year.
Tim Lamb, director, Competition and Regulatory, Meta, wrote in a blog post that Facebook and Instagram users in the EU, Switzerland, and the European Economic Area would be notified in a few weeks about “more choices of how they can use” Meta’s features and services. This would also include new opportunities to limit data-sharing across services and apps.
Most importantly, users can choose to either keep their Instagram and Facebook accounts linked or separate so that their information is not used across accounts anymore. Further, users protected under DMA will also be able to keep their Facebook Gaming, Messenger, and Markets accounts separate. However, doing so will limit a few features available in some of these standalone apps.
For example, if users unlink Messenger and Facebook, they can still access core features, such as private chat, messaging, and video and voice calling. However, other features may not be available. Similarly, if users unlink Facebook and Marketplace, most things may work the same. However, they won’t be able to access Messenger as part of the buying process. For any communication with buyers or sellers, they will have to use emails instead of Messenger.
See more: EU’s Digital Services Act Kicks In, Big Tech Forced To Adapt
Users can choose to continue with linked accounts and access all the linked services. However, they will continue to permit Meta to use their personal information as always, for better or worse.
Until now, linked user accounts have provided Meta with massive data to effectively target ads to more users. However, DMA specifically requires that platforms designated as “gatekeepers”, such as Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, give their users a “specific choice” to opt out of sharing personal information and data across the platform’s different core services or separate services gatekeepers manage. As such, Meta is left with no choice other than announcing the option to unlink user accounts if it is to stay on the right side of the EU’s regulations.
According to Meta’s help page, once users opt out of sharing personal data between the company’s services and apps, the company will stop combining their information across those accounts within 15 days. However, all previously combined information would remain so.
Do you think Meta is doing enough to comply with the EU’s regulations? Share with us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. We’d love to hear from you!
Image source: Shutterstock
MORE ON DIGITAL MARKETS ACT
WhatsApp To Allow Cross-Platform Messaging Following Change in EU Regulations
Microsoft and Apple Push To Remove Bing and iMessage From EU DMA Restrictions
Apple to Allow Third-Party Stores In iOS 17 To Comply With EU’s DMA
