28 Mar 2025 Search

Some good news last week: Meta settles UK ‘right to object to ad-tracking’ lawsuit by agreeing not to track plaintiff. Tanya O’Carroll, in the UK, has settled a case with Meta, and the company must stop using her data for ad targeting when she uses its services. It’s not a change for everyone, though, since the settlement is just for one person. O’Carroll said she is unable to disclose full details of the tracking-free access Meta will be providing in her case but she confirmed that she will not have to pay Meta.

The Open Rights Group now has a Meta opt-out page that anyone in the UK can use to do an opt out under the UK GDPR.

If you use any Meta products – Facebook, Instagram, Meta Quest or VR, Threads or WhatsApp – you can use our tool to request that they no longer collect or process your data for advertising. This is known as your right to object, which is enshrined in data protection law. Meta had tried to get around GDPR, but by settling Tanya’s case they have admitted that they need to give their users this right.

If you’re in the UK, you can either use the form on the site, or use the mailto link to open up a new regular email from your own account pre-populated with the opt out text. This is a win not just because it could mean less money for a transnational criminal organization and more money staying in the UK, but also because it’s going to mean better products and services for the people who do it.

Opt outs are one layer in the onion.

  • Don’t do a surveilled activity

  • Block the transfer of tracking data

  • Generate tracking data that is hard to link to you

  • Set an opt out while doing the surveilled activity

  • Send an opt out or Right to Delete after doing the surveilled activity

Having access to this new tool doesn’t mean not to do the others. Even if I could figure out how to use the Meta apps in a way that’s totally safe for me, it’s still a win to switch away because it helps build network effects for the alternatives and more safety for other people. So even if you do this opt out, it’s also a good idea to do the other effective privacy tips.

How this gets you more money and better stuff

Turning off the personalized ads is a bigger deal than it looks like. The arguments from advertising personalization fans don’t reflect the best research on the subject. Ad personalization systems, especially on Facebook, are designed to give some hard-to-overcome advantages to deceptive advertisers. Any limitations to personalization look like a big win, shopping-wise. In one study, turning on an Apple privacy setting reduced reported fraud losses by 4.7%.

The personalization of ads on Facebook helps vendors of crappy, misrepresented goods match their products to the shoppers who are most likely to fall for their bullshit. Yes, you can follow the advice in articles like Don’t Get Scammed! Tips For Spotting AI-Generated Fake Products Online on Bellingcat, but it’s a time-saver and an extra layer of protection not to get the scam ad in the first place.

Privacy tools and settings that limit ad personalization have been available for quite a while. If people who use them were buying worse stuff, the surveillance industry would have said so by now. Anyway, if you’re in the UK, go do the Meta opt-out.

In other countries, other effective privacy tips are still a win.