Starting in March, you won't need a Facebook account for Instagram or Messenger

Users living in the EU will be able to separate their profile accounts from March – Writes the edge. This means that if a user chooses, they can use things like Facebook and Instagram without the apps sharing user data.

Additionally, anyone can have Messenger without being a Facebook user. This may be especially tempting for those who left the app due to privacy concerns, for example, but regret the difficulty of reaching their friends.

Meta warns users that if they disconnect their accounts, they will have to give up several convenience features. So, on the one hand, their advertising profile is no longer synchronized so that they receive more or less personalized ads everywhere, and on the other hand, for example, if you want to use Marketplace without a Facebook user, you will have to consult with customers via email after that. If someone is playing Facebook games without being a Facebook user, they will only be able to play single player games.

All because the European Union adopted the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA) in 2022, the general point of which is that companies declared as gatekeepers are forced to make changes that will reduce their monopoly position. This is largely evident in the collection and use of data for advertising, which is why, for example, Google must disconnect its search engine, YouTube, Maps, and Chrome at user request so as not to break out a user data wave. flow between them.

For the same reason, paid and ad-free Facebook and Instagram launched here in November, although from a data protection point of view, you can achieve almost the same thing if you play a little trick in the settings.