Meta Users In The EU Can Unlink Their Instagram, Facebook Accounts

These changes signify that EU users can use various Meta services without their information being interlinked.

Users in the European Union (EU) will be able to unlink their Instagram and Facebook accounts, as well as other Meta services ahead of the bloc’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is coming into force in March, the social networking giant announced on Monday. The changes will apply in the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland and notifications informing users of the change will appear in the coming weeks.

"People using Instagram and Facebook in the EU, EEA and Switzerland will soon be offered several choices about how they would like to manage their experiences across Meta products. We are offering these choices to address the requirements of the DMA, which enter into force in March 2024," Tim Lamb, Director, Competition and Regulatory, Meta, said in a statement.

What Does It Mean For Mets Users In The EU

These changes signify that EU users can use various Meta services without their information being interlinked. For instance, individuals can use Facebook Messenger independently without requiring a Facebook account. Moreover, those who had previously linked their Facebook and Instagram accounts will now have the option to unlink them. Meta's help page further clarifies that linking accounts is typically done for features such as targeted ads, personalised content recommendations and post sharing.

"People in the EU, EEA and Switzerland also have the ability to use Instagram and Facebook for free with ads, or subscribe to stop seeing ads. If people  subscribe to stop seeing ads, their information will not be used for ads. This choice rolled out in November 2023," Lamb added.

Gamers on Facebook have the option to select between a gaming experience that integrates their Facebook information and one that operates independently. Opting for Facebook information inclusion provides access to features such as multiplayer games, in-game purchases and personalised game recommendations. On the other hand, those who decide against using their Facebook information for games on the platform can still enjoy certain single-player games.

Meanwhile, Apple is also set to make adjustments in the next few weeks, which involve segregating the ‌App Store‌ in the EU from its global counterpart to meet the new legal requirements. This means Apple will have two versions of the App Store: one for the EU and the other for the global markets. The deadline for Apple to adhere to the DMA is March 7, giving the company just over seven weeks to implement the necessary changes.