New mom wins huge authorized battle in opposition to Facebook homeowners Meta to cease it concentrating on her with adverts – however agency says they could cost British customers to make use of their service after the ruling

British consumers will be able to opt out of targeted online advertising after a new mother won a massive legal battle against Facebook owners Meta. 

Tanya O’Carroll, 37, sued the technology giant after it kept targeting her with baby content when she became a mother in 2017. 

Despite being ‘bombarded’ with the adverts, Ms O’Carroll said when she tried to change her social media settings, the link did not work. 

But after a three-year legal battle, Meta has agreed stop targeting Ms O’Carroll with adverts based on her personal data. 

The landmark settlement, which was agreed on Friday, could change the way that social media works for everyone. 

However, Meta has since said it is now considering charging British users for an advert-free version of its platforms. 

The company said it ‘fundamentally disagrees’ with the claims made by Ms O’Carroll as no company should be ‘mandated to give away its services for free’. 

‘Facebook and Instagram cost a significant amount of money to build and maintain, and these services are free for British consumers because of personalised advertising,’ Meta said.  

Tanya O’Carroll, 37,  (pictured) sued the technology giant after it kept targeting her with baby content when she became a mother in 2017

Pictured: Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive officer of Meta Platforms

‘Like many internet services, we are exploring the option of offering people based in the UK a subscription and will share further information in due course.’ 

Ms O’Carroll, a human rights campaigner, launched her lawsuit against the £1.2tn company in 2022.

She alleged that Meta had breached UK data laws by failing to respect her right to demand Facebook stop collecting her personal data. 

Ms O’Carroll discovered that Facebook had tagged her with more than 700 characteristics based on her activity on the social media platform. 

It inferred the places she wanted to go on holiday, things she wanted to buy and the clothes she liked, among other things. 

After settling the lawsuit yesterday, Ms O’Carroll claimed a ‘victory’. 

She said: ‘This settlement represents not just a victory for me, but for everyone who values their fundamental right to privacy.

‘None of us signed up to be trapped into decades of surveillance advertising, held hostage by the threat of losing the ability to connect with our loved ones online.’

Ms O’Carroll, a human rights campaigner, launched her lawsuit against the £1.2tn company in 2022 (stock photo)

Her privacy case was supported the UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). 

A spokesperson for the ICO said: ‘People have the right to object to their personal information being used for direct marketing and we have been clear that online targeted advertising should be considered as direct marketing. 

‘Organisations must respect people’s choices about how their data is used. This means giving users a clear way to opt out of their data being used in this way.

‘If people believe that an organisation is not complying with their request to stop processing their data, they can file a complaint to us. We will continue to engage with Meta on this issue.’

A Meta no-adds service costing €7.99 a month is already on offer in the EU, after a 2023 ruling by European Court of Justice.