The UK’s competition watchdog has given the green light to new commitments from Meta to better protect the data of advertisers on Facebook.
Since June 2021, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been looking into whether Meta has unfairly data from its advertising services to give its Facebook Marketplace an edge over competitors.
After consulting with advertisers and users of Facebook Marketplace, the CMA said on Tuesday that “the revisions go above and beyond the original commitments and would not leave any advertisers worse off. As a result, the CMA has accepted the proposed variation.”
Under original commitments, competitors advertising on Meta could opt out of having their data used to improve Facebook Marketplace.
However, with the new changes, Meta will not use advertisers’ data to benefit Facebook Marketplace at all, even if they don’t opt out.
Last year, Amazon made a similar commitment to not using marketplace data from rival sellers.
The regulator was also probing how Meta handles data from its online dating service and the option for users to log into other sites using Facebook credentials.
It comes as part of a broader drive to keep tech giants like Meta in check as the CMA has been increasingly vigilant in its efforts to prevent digital monopolies and protect smaller players in the market.
It recently launched a triple investigation into whether partnerships with different AI startups have resulted in relevant merger situations.