The Head of Meta Ireland has warned of the risks of curtailing personalised advertising.
The parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has released a report on the economic impact of its personalised advertising services across the EU.
According to Meta, in 2024 its platforms were linked to €6.33 billion in economic activity and 43,000 jobs in Ireland.
Across the EU, Meta said its platforms were linked to €213 billion in economic activity and 1.44 million jobs.
The company said changes to its advertising model under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) put this value at risk.
Last month, the European Commission fined Meta €200 million for breaching the DMA, which seeks to allow smaller rivals into markets dominated by big tech firms.
Meta said at the time that the EU was attempting to hinder the company and was forcing it to change its business model.
Today, Meta Ireland boss Anne O’Leary said personalised advertising is crucial for business success in the modern economy.
“However, changes to our advertising model under the DMA put this value at risk by making it more difficult for businesses in Ireland to run personalised ads,” Ms O’Leary said.
“At a time of incredible economic turbulence, Irish businesses need more tools to drive growth and have fair opportunities to thrive and compete with their peers in the EU, UK, US and the rest of the world – not less,” she added.
