EU to bar Meta from ads based on personal data, in blow to the social network

Meta will only be able to run advertising based on personal data with users' consent. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Facebook parent Meta will only be able to run advertising based on personal data with users' consent, according to a confidential EU privacy watchdog decision, a person familiar with the matter said, in a blow to the social network.

The Irish data protection agency, which oversees Meta because its European headquarters is located in Dublin, has been given a month to issue a ruling based on the European Data Protection Board's (EDPB) binding decision.