BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - META PLATFORMS

REVISED PAID AD-FREE SERVICE MAY STILL BREACH EU PRIVACY,

CONSUMER LAWS, CONSUMER GROUP SAYS

CONSUMER GROUP URGES EU REGULATORS TO ACT AGAINST META

Meta Platforms' ( META ) revised no-ads subscription service may

still breach EU consumer and privacy laws in addition to

antitrust rules, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) said

on Thursday as it urged regulators to act against the U.S. tech

giant.

Meta, which rolled out the fee-based service for Facebook

and Instagram in 2023, subsequently offered European users the

option to receive less personalised ads and a 40% cut in the

fees last year.

BEUC, which complained about the fee-based service to

consumer protection authorities in 2023, said the changes made

last year were cosmetic.

"In our view, the tech giant fails to address the

fundamental issue that Facebook and Instagram users are not

being presented with a fair choice and is making a weak bid to

argue it is complying with EU law while still pushing users

towards its behavioural ads system," BEUC Director General

Agustin Reyna said.

"It is important for consumer and data protection

authorities and the European Commission to quickly investigate

Meta's latest policy and, if needed, take immediate and

effective measures to protect consumers," he said.

BEUC alleges that Meta's misleading practices and unclear

terms steer users towards its preferred option.

The consumer group also said it is not possible for users to

freely consent to their data being processed and that Meta does

not minimise the data it collects from users.

BEUC also accused Meta of degrading the service to users who

do not agree to the use of their personal data.

Meta has said last year's changes were in response to demands

from EU regulators. The company was charged by EU antitrust

regulators in July last year for breaching the Digital Markets

Act, saying its paid ad-free service constituted a binary choice

for users.