The issue of targeted ads, where user data is surreptitiously collected and used in order to deliver specific advertising could soon be less of a concern for those in Europe, with the EU Parliament recently approving the Digital Services Act.
The Act passed with 530 votes of approval, 78 against and 80 abstentions, showing that EU lawmakers are certainly in favour of limiting targeted ads from big tech firms like Google and Facebook.
According to The Wall Street Journal, neither Google nor Facebook have commented on the matter at the time of writing, but the firms are expected to voice their opposition to an Act that could jeopardise its ability to operate within Europe.
It also potentially sets a precedent for lawmakers in other parts of the globe to look at the application of targeted ads in their regions with increasing scrutiny.
Historic milestone in the European Parliament: We just voted in favour of restricting the data-invasive practices of #BigTech and want to ban all targeting based on sensitive personal data!
— Tiemo Wölken 🇪🇺 (@woelken) January 20, 2022
As for when the Act will come into law is still unclear, with discussions around that very matter set to happen on 31st January, with some experts noting that it could come into effect in the early parts of 2023.
With the Act stating that big tech firms could face fines of up to 6 percent of their global sales for infringements or failure to comply, there will no doubt be mounting opposition to this latest milestone.
It is not the EU alone that could see sweeping changes when it comes to targeted ads, with a similar Act being outlined by the United States lawmakers last week.
