By Melike Pala
BRUSSELS (AA) - Meta has agreed to introduce a less-personalized advertising option for Facebook and Instagram users in the EU as part of efforts to comply with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European Commission said on Monday.
In a statement, the `Commission announced that Meta will, for the first time, allow users to access its social media platforms without consenting to extensive data processing for fully personalized ads.
Instead, users will be able to choose an alternative that relies on significantly less personal data and results in a more limited ad experience.
The new choice will be offered to EU users starting January 2026.
The development follows months of engagement between Brussels and Meta after the Commission ruled in April that the company had breached the DMA and issued a non-compliance decision over insufficient user choice.
The new system aims to ensure that EU users have "full and effective choice" regarding how their data is used, which is a key requirement under the DMA.
Once the model is implemented, the Commission said it will gather feedback and evidence from Meta and other stakeholders to assess how widely the new option is used and how it affects the advertising ecosystem.