Austria’s high court orders Meta to change its personalized ad practices

Austria’s Supreme Court ruled Meta’s personalized advertising model illegal under GDPR, setting EU-wide precedent and requiring timely user data access and detailed transparency on collected data, sources, recipients, and purposes; the decision stems from Max Schrems’ long-running case alleging processing of sensitive data without specific, informed consent. Meta says EU users can now opt out of personalized ads or pay a subscription and that data access tools have improved; Schrems received €500 in damages, with potential for higher awards under GDPR.