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If you, like me, live in the EU, Facebook is now entirely clamping down and forcing free users to make their personal data available for monetization.

Attempting to access any Facebook domain and perhaps also other meta products will redirect you to the following prompt with a choice between either accepting the monetization of your user data, or coughing up a region-dependent monthly subscription fee: base (for me ~10€) + an additional fee (~7€) for each additional facebook or instagram account you have.

Now, the hidden third option. At an initial glance, it seems like there is no other option but to click one of the buttons - however, certain links still work, and grant access to important pieces of functionality through your web browser.

If anyone has information to add regarding Facebook or Instagram, please do share it. I've only (begrudgingly) used the former up until now, but I know many others use Instagram and don't feel like giving a single cent (nor their personal info) to Meta.

  1. https://www.facebook.com/dyi - perhaps most important of all, now is a good time to make a request to download your Facebook data. Don't forget to switch to data for "all time" and "high quality" if you intend to permanently delete your account.

  2. https://www.facebook.com/your_information - here you can find and manage your information, but crucially also access Facebook messenger.

  3. The messenger app: Still hasn't prompted me with anything, though I expect that will change in the not too far future.

Currently my plan is to use messenger to inform any important friends that I intend to leave FB, and where they'll be able to reach me in the future.

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[-] logicbomb@lemmy.world 212 points 1 year ago

You need to make a choice to continue using Facebook

This reminds me of the movie War Games, when WOPR says, "The only winning strategy is not to play." The only correct choice to make here is to delete your Facebook account.

[-] Iceblade02@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Indeed, I'd like to, and hopefully will be able to. Unfortunately it is basically the universal method of communication at my campus - unless you use instagram... or snapchat.... :(

Hopefully it'll be possible to get others to make the move, but I'm not really that important in social contexts, nor are most privacy-focused folks.

[-] rtxn@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago

The evil of the lizard is too great to resist. The only way to win is to deny it battle.

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[-] smotherlove@sh.itjust.works 143 points 1 year ago

Third choice: Delete your account and never look back.

[-] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 41 points 1 year ago

Imagine how many artificially inflated egos would be deflated all at once if facebook/social media went away.

probably be one the greatest things to happen to humanity.

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[-] thanks_shakey_snake@lemmy.ca 117 points 1 year ago

When the "Subscribe" button is gray and the "Use for free" button is blue, you know something's up 🤔

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[-] sndrtj@feddit.nl 115 points 1 year ago

What's absolutely scummy is that "laws are changing in your region" is not what happened. The law hasn't significantly changed. What has changes is that the regulator is finally enforcing the law.

[-] Benaaasaaas@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago

Also said law doesn't allow blocking access if you don't agree to the tracking rules, so let's see where this goes.

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[-] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 92 points 1 year ago
[-] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 26 points 1 year ago

I swore off all Meta products before they were called Meta. One of the better decisions I've ever made.

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[-] lostmypasswordanew@feddit.de 85 points 1 year ago

The text is also incredible misleading. The data will still be harvested and monetized, just not for ads.

[-] hightrix@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago

Even that claim I find dubious. Yes, your data won’t inform targeted ads on Facebook, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be used for targeted ads elsewhere on the internet.

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[-] LiamMayfair 82 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I welcome this change. It makes it clear to the user in realistic terms how they want to engage with the site.

  • Pay up with your money
  • Pay up with your data
  • Don't use Facebook

I despise Meta and all their products but they are entitled to charge people for them. Shit ain't free to run, you know.

I'd much sooner they showed this banner and force people to make a decision than what they've been doing up until now, which is to "assume" everyone's fine with their personal data being harvested and exploited without their knowledge or consent.

[-] LWD@lemm.ee 81 points 1 year ago* (last edited 11 months ago)
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[-] fuzzzerd@programming.dev 26 points 1 year ago

That assumes that because they're paying they aren't also tracking. They might not use it for ads directly but they'll still sell it to others that will show you ads off Facebook.

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[-] b3nsn0w@pricefield.org 68 points 1 year ago

this has to be illegal.

like, no, seriously. i'm not a lawyer but i was working on a (since failed) startup in 2018 and distinctly remember how much headache the gdpr caused. literally one of the main things was that you cannot coerce users into consenting to data processing, or make features conditional to them. the gdpr makes a distinction between processing you do to perform a contract (that's why no one asks for your consent for processing your email address to log you in, that's implied) and processing you do for other reasons, which require user consent (that's why everyone asks if they can spam you on the same email -- it doesn't matter that your email address is already on their server, processing it for marketing reasons requires consent of the data subject). opting into these kinds of processing needs to be granular, if it's not they lose the validity of your consent.

i seriously hope facebook gets slapped so hard over this that no one ever thinks about doing this again. "paying with your data" should never be a thing in any society that calls itself civilized.

[-] Globeparasite@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Yeah I really hope the EU smack'em down. Asking users to pay a fee only because their countries law limit an illegal practice is astonishing

[-] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don't think you understand how this works. I'm not the biggest fan of Facebook but even I know they're not a charity they're not a governmental entity. They're out there to make a profit and if they can't make a profit on their ad revenue then they have to make a profit in another way via a subscription service. So they're literally giving you the option to either continue using them with ads or continue using them as a subscription service. Your other option is to completely delete your Facebook. I don't see the problem here. You aren't entitled to a Facebook page, no matter how useful it is to your personal life.

Edit: a word

[-] b3nsn0w@pricefield.org 18 points 1 year ago

then offer the subscription service as the only option. if they want to do that, it's on them. but you can tell by the dark pattern on this ui element that that's not their main goal, they just want to use the threat of having to pay to coerce people into consenting to data processing.

it's not about entitlement, it's about playing fair. removing the option to "pay with your data", and leaving only the subscription or cancellation as options would be fair play. it would also destroy facebook but that's on them, it's their decision to make. but if they decide to provide a free service of any kind, they cannot discriminate against those who wish to choose privacy.

and if we're being realistic, they're not expecting even 1% of their user base to pay. they are, however, expecting to keep nearly 100% of their user base. that's what makes this about coercion -- if they didn't have the option to coerce people (and i'm fairly sure they don't have it legally, but again, i am not a lawyer) the options presented would be very different, because facebook itself wouldn't be able to afford to only give its service to paid users. you'd probably have a free tier with optional privacy included, which is missing some features, or a paid tier with extra features and privacy included (hopefully non-optionally, but it's facebook so they'd probably still try to track you).

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[-] Gestrid@lemmy.ca 49 points 1 year ago

How much you wanna bet your info will still be used for ads even if you subscribe?

[-] soulfirethewolf@lemdro.id 41 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Lol the wording and design of it all. Subscribe to use without ads, picture of a credit card. Versus Use for free with ads, picture of a shooting star:

Discover products and brands through personalized ads, while using your Facebook account for free.

Plus the little "your current experience" highlighted in green. And finally "use for free" highlighted in blue.

They really want you to go with the second option so they can try to prove to the court that people want free stuff. When most of them were likely unconsciously coerced into it.

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[-] PeleSpirit@lemmy.world 38 points 1 year ago

They're actually holding your friends and family hostage, make plans to get them to safety.

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[-] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 36 points 1 year ago

Dark pattern of the week: button colors.

Can you guess which button Meta really wants you to press?

[-] zAkk@lemmy.world 33 points 1 year ago

"It's free and always will be"

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[-] victorz@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago

Recently uninstalled:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter/X
  • Reddit

I feel free. My phone feels lighter, almost. My brain feels lighter.

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[-] diffusive@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago

The real question, in EU, is not Facebook (or even Instagram). It’s WhatsApp. Business talk with WhatsApp, family talk with WhatsApp, meet a person in a bar? Yep WhatsApp or you are the weirdo

As soon I got the banners, I uninstalled the app and switched to friendly. Not sure if I have such luxury with WhatsApp…. Maybe time to explore matrix? 🤷

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[-] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 25 points 1 year ago

LOL why are people using Facebook?

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[-] 0x0@programming.dev 24 points 1 year ago

I'm surprised the EU hasn't pounced on them for GRPR infringement, maybe there's a loophole Meta's exploiting. Being total assholes ain't a crime.

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[-] avater@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Easy fix. Stop using crap like meta, or Reddit, or TikTok, or Twitter or another degenerated social media platform...

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[-] bort@feddit.de 21 points 1 year ago

Laws are changing in your region, so we're introducinga new choice about how we use your info for ads.

Which law?

[-] sndrtj@feddit.nl 24 points 1 year ago

None. The statement is false. The law didn't change. What did change was the enforcement thereof.

[-] cley_faye@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

You know, the law. That one. That law that changed. The law that changed in your region. That law. That recently changed.

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[-] NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social 21 points 1 year ago

Sounds like a lot of hassle, when the real answer is to just get rid of Facebook

[-] Mango@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

I always choose 'fuck whoever is giving me an ultimatum'. That's the control freak. That's the source of problems.

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[-] AWittyUsername@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

"Your info won't be used for ads" - but it will be used in other ways

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[-] Tau@sopuli.xyz 13 points 1 year ago

You can delete your account(s) clicking on "accounts in this Account Center" btw

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[-] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This forced me to look into hosting an own social media as a replacement for me, my friends and acquaintances. Where we can chat, upload files, organise events, and make posts about all sorts of things.

Anyone got a recommendation for software, preferably open source?

Humhub looked promising, but the "free" version only allows 5 people, which is just dumb.

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[-] PepeLivesMatter@lemmy.today 12 points 1 year ago

They were already monetizing your data, just like websites were already using cookies to track you before the EU made it mandatory to inform visitors about this.

[-] Infinity13@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

My relatives are using FB as crazy. Like too much. I was telling them how Facebook is tracking and selling users data, thats why i dont use FB and all i have seen in their eyes was wanting me to shut the f*ck up

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this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2023
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