Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is back in the global spotlight, not over virtual reality or Threads—but its battle with European regulators. And now, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly wants help from President Donald Trump to calm the storm overseas.
The Wall Street Journal reported on March 31 that Meta executives are lobbying U.S. trade officials to intervene after the European Commission threatened a cease-and-desist order that could pull the plug on Meta’s ad personalization model in the European Union.
That’s a big deal, considering Meta made over $160 billion in ad revenue in 2024, according to Statista.
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Meta’s “pay or consent” system, rolled out in November 2023, is at the heart of the issue. It gave European users two choices: pay for ad-free access to Facebook and Instagram or accept targeted ads by consenting to data collection. But regulators weren’t impressed.
Meta’s revised pay-or-consent policy didn’t appease the European Consumer Organization either. Its director general, Agustín Reyna, said, “European consumers should not be fooled by the cosmetic changes Meta applies to its one-year-old pay-or consent policy,” according to a Jan. 23 statement.
The European Commission essentially accused Meta of coercing users into surrendering their data. Reyna added, “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 behavioral ads system.”
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Meta might now be forced to offer completely free versions that avoid detailed user tracking altogether.
In accordance with EU’s 2022 Digital Markets Act, Meta would potentially pay fines of up to 10% of its annual global revenue, which could total around $16.5 billion.
Meta disagrees. The company argues that offering subscriptions as an alternative to ads is a standard business model. Meanwhile, the European Commission insists that the DMA should be applied equally, no matter where a company is based.
But Meta claims this is more than just a legal dispute—economic warfare. According to the New York Post, a Meta spokesperson said, “This is not just about fines — it’s about the Commission seeking to handicap successful American businesses simply because they’re American while letting Chinese and European rivals off the hook.”
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On April 2, Trump announced sweeping tariffs, including a 10% baseline on all imports and higher, country-specific penalties for “unfair” practices. The 10% tariff took effect on April 5 and remains in place, including for the EU. However, the higher tariffs were suspended for 90 days shortly after their announcement.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick backed the move. He told Fox News, “The European Union won’t take chicken from America. They won’t take lobsters from America. They hate our beef because it is beautiful, and theirs is weak.”
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This article Mark Zuckerberg Pushes Trump To 'Respond Aggressively' As EU Threatens Meta's Ad Revenue – A Big Tech Showdown? originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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