The additional complaint came nearly two months after Noyb told the Austrian Data Protection Authority that Meta's no-ads subscription service launched in Europe in November was equivalent to paying a fee to ensure privacy.

Meta has said the new service which applies to Facebook and Instagram aims to comply with EU rules that users must be given a choice whether their data can be collected and used for targeted ads.

Users who consent to be tracked get a free, ad-supported service.

"While one (free) click is enough to consent to being tracked, users can only withdraw their consent by going through the complicated process of switching to a paid subscription," Noyb said in a statement.

It urged the Austrian watchdog to order Meta to provide users with an easy way to withdraw their consent and also slap it with a fine.

The complaint will likely be forwarded to the Irish data protection watchdog which oversees Meta because it has its European headquarters in Ireland. A ruling by the Irish privacy watchdog would apply across the 27-country bloc.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

By Foo Yun Chee