Meta must offer Facebook and Instagram users in Denmark a real alternative to invasive ad tracking from January 2026, after EU regulators found its “pay or consent” model illegal under the Digital Markets Act and accepted a formal commitment set out in a Commission press release and technical documents.
Meta will roll out an option for EU users to receive less personalised ads based on limited data, in addition to its existing ad-free subscription and fully personalised ad model, starting January 2026. The new option will sit alongside Meta’s existing choice between accepting extensive cross-service tracking for personalised ads or paying roughly DKK 45 to 60 per month for an ad-free subscription, turning the binary model into three modes. Under the DMA, the Commission can fine Meta up to 10 percent of its global annual turnover for non-compliance, rising to 20 percent for repeated breaches. For internationals in Denmark who use Facebook and Instagram to find housing, language groups, and expat communities, these changes will shape both privacy and practical convenience.
Why Meta had to move on personalised ads
The Commission decided in April 2025 that Meta’s earlier model breached Article 5(2) of the Digital Markets Act, which requires gatekeepers to offer users a less personalised but equivalent alternative if they decline data combination. In December 2025, the Commission acknowledged Meta’s undertaking to remedy this. Meta had operated a pay-or-consent system from late 2023, with the Commission finding non-compliance from March to November 2024. It initially charged around 12.99 euros per month on iOS and Android, before cutting prices by 40 percent in November 2024 to about 7.99 euros, or roughly DKK 60. Regulators judged the binary choice coercive, undermining the GDPR standard of freely given consent that is woven into DMA data obligations.
The Commission imposed a 200 million euro fine, around DKK 1.5 billion, for that period of non-compliance. That would correspond to roughly DKK 250 per Danish resident if spread across the population. Meta argues that subscriptions are a legitimate way to fund free services and refers to CJEU case law recognising paid no-ads models as a valid form of consent. Privacy advocates counter that Meta effectively monetised data protection, making it a luxury rather than a default right.
What the less personalised ads option means in practice
According to the Commission’s December 2025 DMA undertaking, Meta must offer users an effective choice between consenting to share all their data for fully personalised advertising and opting to share less personal data for an experience with more limited personalised advertising. Meta has separately said these ads will rely on a minimal set of data points such as age, location, gender, and ad engagement. EU users can also block information sharing between Facebook and Instagram via Accounts Center and can use Messenger as a standalone account without Facebook data. According to Meta’s DMA compliance materials, users can additionally choose an anonymised Marketplace experience using email rather than Facebook profile data.
Minors slip through with a false birthday
Parallel to the ad-tracking case, the European Commission has charged Meta under the Digital Services Act for failing to keep under-13s off Facebook and Instagram. The Commission’s preliminary findings in April 2026 showed children can create accounts simply by entering a false birth date, with no effective age verification and a cumbersome process requiring up to seven clicks to report underage users. Meta disputes the charges and says it is committed to enhancing detection technologies. Under the DSA, the case carries a potential fine of 6 percent of global revenue. For context, 6 percent of Meta’s recent global revenue would amount to around DKK 58 billion.
For parents in Denmark, the EU’s findings mean platform-side checks remain weak. Device-level controls, app-store restrictions, and direct supervision are still the most reliable tools. The separate child protection and ad-model cases show the Commission is using both the DMA and DSA to force behavioural change, moving beyond post-hoc fines to ongoing regulation of Big Tech business models.
What changes in January 2026
Meta will present the new options to EU users from January 2026, according to the Commission. Those wanting maximum privacy can unlink Facebook and Instagram, switch to standalone Messenger, and choose the less personalised ad experience. According to the Commission, this is the first time Meta has formally offered such a choice on these platforms in the EU. The Commission retains the right to monitor implementation and restart enforcement if the option proves a fig leaf.
Businesses and expat groups that rely on Facebook and Instagram ads or Marketplace may see ad performance shift as more users move to limited targeting. Niche expat targeting could become less precise if fewer data points are available.
Three modes, one deadline
From January 2026, EU users will be able to choose between fully personalised ads, less personalised ads using restricted data, and the existing paid no-ads subscription. Analysts describe the DMA enforcement against Meta’s ad model as one of the first major tests of how the DMA applies to a social network’s business model. Under the DSA, the 6 percent fine ceiling applies across covered platforms, including other large social services such as TikTok and X.
According to Eurostat, Denmark has some of the highest rates of internet and digital service use in the EU, suggesting residents rely strongly on digital platforms for daily life. Strict EU enforcement on Meta may therefore have a sharper practical impact here than in countries where social media plays a smaller role in housing, jobs, and social networks. For internationals navigating Copenhagen’s rental market or Aarhus’s expat scene through Facebook groups, the new ad rules and account-linking choices will matter in January and beyond.
