‘Pay or Be Profiled’: Meta’s New Pop-Up Faces Portuguese Privacy Fury

Most people scrolling through Facebook or Instagram from Portugal this week were met by an unfamiliar ultimatum: either pay roughly €7 every month for an ad-free feed or allow the company behind the apps, Meta, to continue using their personal data for targeted marketing. Portugal’s consumer champion DECO calls the tactic “digital intimidation,” while Meta insists it is simply complying with European privacy law. The fight is more than a corporate spat—it touches every expatriate’s right to a private life online and could reshape how social networks operate across the continent.

A Two-Click Dilemma Arrives on Portuguese Screens

The message appears innocuous, yet the choice it presents is stark. One button authorises the collection of browsing activity, contacts, device identifiers and other behavioural signals so adverts remain free, the other promises an uncluttered timeline for a subscription fee. DECO argues that the design of the pop-up—large lettering for the paid version, subdued colours for the privacy-minded option—nudges users toward surrendering data profiles. For newcomers to Portugal still signing local rental contracts and opening bank accounts, the extra charge feels like an unwelcome “tax” on maintaining ties with friends back home.

Consumer Watchdog Cries ‘Digital Blackmail’

DECO’s legal adviser Luís Pisco says the binary prompt is “contrary to EU law” because meaningful consent must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous. He points out that Brussels already fined Meta €200 M last year for a similar manoeuvre. By reviving the model before the appeal is heard, DECO believes the company is flouting both the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The group accuses Meta of putting European citizens in the role of negotiating chip amid a trans-Atlantic standoff over commercial surveillance.

Meta Defends the Pay-or-Consent Formula

A spokesperson for Meta counters that the subscription—priced at about €7 on mobile and €5 on the web—offers a “highly competitive” alternative for people who value ad-free social networking. The firm maintains that the DMA allows so-called gatekeepers to propose a less personal advertising tier if users prefer. Meta also stresses that it still provides extensive privacy controls, including the ability to pause certain third-party trackers and download an activity log at any time. In the company’s reading, the law merely forbids forced tracking, not paid upgrades.

Brussels Keeps the Pressure On

European Commission officials are unconvinced. Internal Market chief Thierry Breton warned in spring that any semblance of “coercive consent” risks daily penalties of up to 5 % of global turnover. Regulators argue Meta should, at minimum, supply a free version with contextual ads—spots chosen by the content on screen rather than a user dossier. Norway’s data authority ran that experiment last summer, proving a basic model can function using only gender, approximate location and real-time page content. Whether such a compromise placates EU watchdogs remains to be tested.

What the Portuguese Data Regulator Is Doing

Lisbon’s own Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados (CNPD) has quietly joined an EU-wide task-force examining how Meta trains its artificial-intelligence engines on public posts. In May it invited residents to file objections—one form for rejecting AI training and another for refusing behavioural ads. CNPD sources say thousands of expatriates have already used the English-language template, signalling a growing expectation that Portugal’s digital rights match those of larger member states like France or Germany.

A Pattern Repeating Across Europe

Meta is hardly alone in clashing with privacy enforcers. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission rejected the firm’s earlier claim that personalised ads were a “contractual necessity.” Norway extended a temporary ban on such ads to the entire EEA after the European Data Protection Board stepped in. Even Google has beta-tested the “Privacy Sandbox” to avoid another showdown. The common theme: regulators want clear opt-outs and minimal-data alternatives, while platforms argue those demands undermine an advertising-funded internet.

What Should Foreign Users in Portugal Do Now?

For expatriates wondering which button to tap, consumer lawyers recommend first opening Meta’s download-your-information portal to assess exactly what is stored. Those who decline tracking can still manually hide or report intrusive adverts and may notice only a mild increase in irrelevant Portuguese promotions. Paying the fee, on the other hand, is treated as a regular Portuguese digital service subscription, meaning it could count toward local IRS deductions for telecommunications if filed correctly—something many newcomers overlook.

The Road Ahead: Courts, Codes and Possible Subscription Models

Meta has already filed a challenge at the EU Court of Justice. A final verdict could take years, yet interim fines or emergency injunctions might drop sooner. Policy analysts believe a middle-ground solution—contextual ads by default, behavioural ads with explicit opt-in and an optional premium tier—is the likeliest outcome. Until then, the simplest safeguard is vigilance: review settings, lodge objections if uncomfortable, and remember that in Portugal, as across Europe, your data is protected by law, even when the news-feed suggests otherwise.