Meta will finally limit personalized ads for EU users

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Meta is preparing to do something that many European users have been begging for since approximately forever: let people on Facebook and Instagram dial back the personalized ads. 

Not remove them entirely, calm down, this isn’t a utopia, but limit them. 

The feature will start rolling out in January 2026, giving EU users a shiny new button that effectively says: “Sure, take some data, but stop acting like you know my shoe size and breakup history.”

The European Commission announced the update and wasted no time framing it as a milestone. 

According to EU officials, this marks the “first time” Meta has offered this type of meaningful ad-control choice on its platforms. 

The options will be simple: share everything and get hyper-targeted ads, or share much less and get ads that are more generic, slightly less psychic, and possibly more chaotic (good luck, advertisers).

This move didn’t come from sudden corporate generosity or a change of heart deep within Meta HQ. 

It came after a €200 million (roughly $266 million) fine earlier this year for violating the bloc’s Digital Markets Act. 

That law says platforms must give users real choice before hoovering up their data for ad targeting, not just force people to choose between “pay real money to avoid ads” and “be monetized like a walking data piñata.” 

Meta tried that approach anyway. The EU was not impressed.

Since then, the Commission and Meta have been in what officials described as a “close dialogue,” which sounds like diplomatic speak for “several long, stern meetings.” 

After the rollout next year, regulators will monitor how many users adopt the new ad settings and whether the change actually improves privacy or simply adds another layer of confusing toggles no one ever touches.

In the bigger picture, this feels like a preview of a new era where tech giants aren’t just offering features users want, they’re being forced to. 

And in the EU, at least, Meta is learning that when regulators say “give people a choice,” they don’t mean “two bad ones.”