In the EU, EEA, and Switzerland, we are launching a new subscription option in accordance with changing European regulations. Facebook and Instagram users who live in these regions will have the option to either subscribe to stop seeing ads or continue using these personalized services for free in November, according to Meta.
People’s information won’t be used for advertisements while they are subscribers. If they pay for a monthly subscription, Instagram and Facebook users in Europe can now choose not to see targeted advertisements.
Users in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland can purchase a monthly plan to access the platforms ad-free for €9.99 ($10.60) on the web or €12.99 ($13.78) on iOS and Android for €12.99 ($13.78). This was announced on Monday by the parent company, Meta.
According to the company, each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center will be subject to an additional monthly fee starting in March. This fee is €6 ($6.37) on the web and €8 ($8.48) on iOS and Android.
The products are part of an attempt to abide by several European laws that limit the use of customized advertisements by US tech companies. The EU has tightened regulations over the past year, and big tech companies will soon have to obtain users’ consent before engaging in such advertising.
A court decided in July that tech companies could ask users if they wanted to access Facebook and Instagram without advertisements for a fee, among other ways to get their consent, by using subscription models.
Although advertisements will still be displayed, users can still use Facebook and Instagram for free. Users who are not in Europe are not eligible for these plans.
Companies may gather and use the personal data of EU citizens in accordance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, provided that the usage fits into specific categories. In the past, Meta has maintained that in order to fulfill the “contracts” between the platform and end users to provide its service, it must collect data for advertising.
However, regulators and privacy advocates have stated that this reasoning does not justify the use of personal information for advertising.
“Meta stated in a blog post that regardless of income, we will continue to offer people free access to our personalized products and services because we believe in a free, ad-supported internet.”
For a fee, users in these nations will be able to subscribe and use our products ad-free. It will cost €9.99/month on the web or €12.99/month on iOS and Android, depending on where you buy it. The subscription will work with all linked Facebook and Instagram accounts in a user’s Accounts Center, regardless of where you buy it.
The pricing for iOS and Android accounts for the fees that Google and Apple impose through their respective purchase policies, as is the case with many online subscriptions. The initial subscription includes coverage for all linked accounts in the user’s Accounts Center through March 1, 2024.
Additionally, the business declared, “We are committed to complying with these evolving European regulations, and we respect their spirit and purpose.”
