The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta plans to move to a “Pay for your Rights” model, where EU users will have to pay $ 168 a year (€ 160 a year) if they don’t agree to give up their fundamental right to privacy on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. History has shown that Meta’s regulator, the Irish DPC, is likely to agree to any way that Meta can bypass the GDPR. However, the company may also be able to use six words from a recent Court of Justice (CJEU) ruling to support its approach.

  • Free Palestine 🇵🇸@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    Anyone with more than a single brain cell should move to federated/decentralized platforms with a “Don’t pay but still have more rights than a Facebook user” approach

    • cerement@slrpnk.net
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      1 year ago

      network effect – easy when it’s just you – but then you need to convince all your friends and family to switch over as well – and they’re not interested because it would mean convincing all their friends and family too … best you can hope for is a trust thermocline, a catastrophic event that’s more likely to leave millions of Facebook users floundering in anger than in curiosity at alternatives …

      • settinmoon@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        The approach I took is organize my contacts into three categories The people that I talk to on a daily basis, people that I occasionally talk to, and people who I rarely ever talk to. For the first group (less than 10 for me), mostly close friends and families, I just bullied them to use an alternative platform like Signal until they caved in. For the second group, I recommend Signal to them but also left them with my phone number so they can text me if needed. For the third group I did nothing. Then I proceeded to delete FB Messenger off all my devices. I still log in to the web version maybe once per month to check if anyone from the third group needs to reach me or if there’s any group events going on. I did not fully get off FB but I ended up reducing 99% of my usage and 100% of the garbage in app and location tracking. To me this is good enough

    • YⓄ乙 @aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      Dude you’d be surprised the amount of dumb mofos walking around you. I am 100% sure there will be some losers willing to pay that amount to use Facebook.

  • ByteWelder@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    It seems like this might break the GDPR rules for consent:

    Any element of inappropriate pressure or influence which could affect the outcome of that choice renders the consent invalid.

    https://gdpr-info.eu/issues/consent/

    or if the performance of a contract, including the provision of a service, is dependent on the consent despite such consent not being necessary for such performance.

    https://gdpr-info.eu/recitals/no-43/

    I’m not a lawyer though, so maybe a legal expert can chime in.

    edit: the jury is still out it seems:

    https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/03/meta-subscription-vs-consent/

    • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      I think you’d have a hard time legally saying that they have to provide a service to users when that service is paid for by selling access to users via advertising, even if the user refuses to allow that access. It would probably qualify as “necessary for such performance”.

      Having the extra option to pay to remove ads (while I think this price is ridiculously excessive) is a pretty reasonable compromise. Although it also feels kinda icky in the sense that it means you’re essentially turning privacy into a privilege for the wealthy. So I dunno, it’s a tricky issue.

      • michaelrose@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Necessary for performance of such service is like needing your address to ship you food or your identity data to connect you with individuals seeking to employ you. EG the info is necessary and relevant to the performance of the actual task at hand not I need all your data so I can sell it to make money. The alternative is so expansive that it would automatically authorize all possible data collection which is obviously not the intent of the law.

      • racsol@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I agree, but it’s not like using Meta is mandatory. You can decide not to use their services.

        • cerement@slrpnk.net
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          1 year ago

          just because you’re not using their service doesn’t mean they aren’t using your shadow profile

          • racsol@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            Indeed. I can’t know for sure. But the GDPR is supposed to make that illegal.

            That’s a different conversation.

  • RiQuY@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Do they forgot about the meaning of the world “RIGHTS”? Doesn’t feel very legal to lock users rights behind a paywall.

    • BenderOver@artemis.camp
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      1 year ago

      The thing is, using Facebook isn’t a right. They can charge for whatever, whenever, however they want. You agree to this when you sign up/access the site. You have the choice not to use it.

      That’s what gets me with these comments/complaints. (Not trying to be mean). You don’t have to use facebook/Twitter/instagram etc. And the fact that people keep using these kinds of websites is beyond me, especially when they try to pull this kind of bs.

      • RiQuY@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        What I was refering when I said rights is the right to decide whether if they should use my private info or not.

        • BenderOver@artemis.camp
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          1 year ago

          It’s a private website. You give up your rights when accessing the site. If you want to keep your right to your info, don’t use the site…

          • Blackrook7@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I think they collect and use your information even if you don’t use the site though. Isn’t that still true?

            • BenderOver@artemis.camp
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              1 year ago

              That is true. However, the only way they’d get that info is if you made it public to begin with.

              Like getting your cell phone number from a person’s contacts. You had to give that number out to begin with. You should have no expectation of privacy after that. Unless you specifically told your friend/whoever you gave it to, not to. Then that would be on them when they accepted the terms to the site, not the website itself.

              (I do want to reiterate that I don’t support what these kinds of companies do at all.)

          • promitheas@iusearchlinux.fyi
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            1 year ago

            Thats not how the law works, and the law is above any corporation. At least this is still true in Europe. So if the law states that I dont need to give up any rights, then I… Dont need to give up any rights

            • BenderOver@artemis.camp
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              1 year ago

              Yes this would only be in the US. I should’ve put that in one of my earlier comments… thanks for the clarification. Also, while we are at it, I should add do your own research too. I am just a rando and this is my general understanding of how shit works over here. Laws could even vary on state level that I’m not aware of too.

            • BenderOver@artemis.camp
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              1 year ago

              Another thing I’ll add (I can’t edit in Artemis), I didn’t realize it was an EU article to begin with. So that was a big overlook on my part.

    • Auzy@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      You have a right to not use their website. It’s completely legal, as long as they’re upfront

      As long as they give you an option to remove your data if you don’t agree to the terms, that’s ok

  • AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space
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    1 year ago

    Of course, that just means you don’t see ads on Instagram/Facebook. They still collect your data, aggregate it and trade it with data brokers, so the ads you see elsewhere (not to mention prices you’re offered) will become more accurate. In fact, it’s not unlikely that the behavioural data of people who pay to opt out of being spammed with ads will be more valuable to data brokers.

    Also, for those who don’t pay, the ads will get more frequent and annoying to induce them to pay. (See also: Spotify)

    • Ferk@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      In fact, it’s not unlikely that the behavioural data of people who pay to opt out of being spammed with ads will be more valuable to data brokers.

      True. This is why the AdNauseam extension doesn’t simply “hide” ads, but it goes out of its way to actually simulate clicks for ALL ads, causing algorithms to be unable to more accurately profile you and making the pay-per-click model fall on its face. If everyone did that, advertisers would have to pay for completely meaningless clicks making it no longer worth it to advertise this way.

      Though it’s still not a solution to privacy, since it still gives some insight on your tastes by allowing them to know what websites do you frequently visit.

  • racsol@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    This price is absurd, sure. Even if I trusted Meta, there’s no way I’m paying that.

    Having said that, they can charge whatever they want for the service. As company, their prices are up them.

    I don’t get why you (no OP specifically, but in general) put it as if you must pay or give up your rights. We can just not use Meta, as many of us already been doing.

    GDPR should be there to protect and enforce informed consent. Not to remove people’s ability to decide.

    Why sholuld we regulate Meta’s prices and not whatever other suscription service exists out there?

      • settinmoon@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        You can alleviate this by using a VPN, configure you browser to minimize fingerprinting and use NoScript which allows you to block their trackers on third party websites.

      • racsol@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Ok, so I should use Meta services anyway guilty-free?

        I’m not claiming I’m not being tracked. But in theory, the GDPR should have made that illegal (to my understading) as I’m in the EU.

        If the law is just paper anyway, then what’s the point of the discussion?

    • modifier@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I haven’t used anything Meta-related in almost 10 years and my life has failed to disintegrate. It’s actually been lovely.

    • Shayeta@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      As absurd as the price may seem, that is actually about how much money they make from selling user data. Of course, given their track record I don’t feel inclined to trust this “pinkey promise” of not selling the data in some form anyways.

  • Valen@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I’m in the US, and I want this here. Not with that price, but I think that there should be an option.

    Meta, Google, etc. should calculate how much revenue they could make from me, and then charge me that amount, or something like 10% more. If I pay it, they don’t sell my data (I’ve bought an exclusive right to it). That way I’m either paying for the service by being the product, or by paying what they’d make from me. Seems fair.

    • codblopsii@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      How about no and my data is mine to start and end with. If they make money from me, they give me that money or the data is theirs.

      • TheGalacticVoid@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Then don’t use Meta products?

        If the reason why social media is free to use is because it’s subsidized or paid for by personalized ads, and they now can’t use personalized ads, I really don’t see the problem in putting it behind a paywall. Social media isn’t a public service. It’s a business. We aren’t entitled to Instagram’s free unlimited video hosting in the same way that we aren’t entitled to free movies from Netflix or free electricity from a private utility company.

        • codblopsii@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Meta isn’t the only player in the network. I know how data is used but my response was to the parent comment.

  • Otter@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    I feel like there is a balance to this.

    • I hate all the stuff Facebook/Meta has done, but a service from a for-profit company will have a cost.
    • At the same time, if you make the cost so excessive that no one will actually go for it, it’s not really an alternative and rather a loophole for the law.

    What makes more sense is to set the price point around equal to the amount made / user. I REALLY doubt that they are making $168 from each person per year.

    I don’t have the data with me, but would a quick and dirty total_revenue/total_users give a good estimate? Assuming total_revenue doesn’t include other products like devices

    • Leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1 year ago

      in 2022, they made US$113bn from ads. They have approx 3bn users so thats about US$38 per user per year.

    • ReversalHatchery@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      I think this will still be deceptive. These companies have proven countless times that they can’t be trusted, because every word of theirs is a lie.

      They’ll just take the money and do the same.
      It gets known they mine paying users too for their data? Ooopsie, it was a mistake (that we let you know about it), won’t happen again, pinky promise!

  • dimath@ttrpg.network
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    1 year ago

    The company:

    • We can provide you a free for you service paid by advertising.

    Users:

    • No, I want privacy.

    The company:

    • Ok, paid service then.

    Users:

    • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      I would feel a lot better about it if the price was anything close to how much they actually make from people’s data. Something like $30 per year according to Facebook themselves, in 2019.

      But yeah, the notion that people should be entitled to all these online services completely free of charge while also not allowing it to be paid for through advertising is ludicrous.

      • Hexagon@feddit.it
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        1 year ago

        You could have advertising without creepy tracking surveillance. Contextual ads, based only on the content of the current page and nothing else. Still relevant, still makes money

    • Atemu@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      The problem in this has never been (at any point) advertising.

      Advertising is problematic too but not because of privacy issues.