For many years, Instagram and Facebook have been free, with no option to pay for ad-free usage. Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for.
Meta will launch a paid subscription that will remove ads from Facebook and Instagram. The service will be available throughout the European Union and will be offered for around 9.99 euros per month on the web or 12.99 euros per month on iOS and Android to account for the additional fees of those platforms.
The subscription aims to address the concerns of the European Union regarding Meta’s advertising targeting practices and data collection. Here is the press release where they announced the measure.
The Data Protection Law is responsible for this historic change
By giving users the choice between paying for the service to eliminate ad targeting or using the service for free while consenting to their data collection practices, Meta believes it will have clearly and definitively met the privacy requirements set forth by a series of European data laws, including the Digital Markets Act and the GDPR.
“We respect the spirit and purpose of these evolving European regulations and are committed to complying with them,” Meta writes in a blog post announcing the new subscription.
Meta states that it will continue to offer free access to its products for those who do not wish to pay. The company claims that the user experience for non-paying users will not change, and their current ad preference tools will remain available.
The ad-free subscription will only be available for users over 18 years old in the European Union. Initially, it will apply to all linked Facebook and Instagram accounts, but Meta will eventually charge an extra fee for linked accounts.
Starting from March 1, 2024, there will be an additional fee of 6 euros on the web or 8 euros on iOS and Android for each linked account. The company states that as long as a person remains subscribed, their data will not be used for ad targeting.
The tone of Meta’s announcement makes it clear that the company continues to prioritize the advertising business upon which its platforms are built.
