Meta said on Monday it will debut an ad-free subscription option for Facebook and Instagram for users in Europe starting next month, a sign of how government pressure is pushing big tech companies to change their core products.
The social networking company said it was complying with “evolving European regulations” by launching the subscription option in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Starting in November, users will be able to choose whether they want to continue using Facebook or Instagram for free with ads or take out a subscription to no longer see ads, Meta said.
The costs range from 9.99 euros per month (10.58 US dollars) on the Internet to 12.99 euros per month (13.75 US dollars) on iOS and Android devices and apply to the linked Facebook and A user’s Instagram accounts. From March 1, 2024, additional accounts will be charged an additional fee of 6 euros per month for the web version and 8 euros per month for mobile access.
Meta’s core business has long been offering free social networking services to users and selling ads to companies that want to reach this audience. Providing a paid tier highlights how tech companies must redesign their products to comply with data protection regulations and other government policies, particularly in Europe. Amazon, Apple, Google, TikTok and others are also making changes to comply with new rules in the European Union, which is home to around 450 million people in 27 countries.
To protect people’s privacy, the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court, effectively banned Meta in July from collecting data about users on its platforms – including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – as well as from external websites and apps. to combine unless it has received the express consent of users. This comes after EU regulators decided in January to fine Meta €390 million for forcing users to accept personalized ads as a condition of using Facebook.
In its July decision, the European Court of Justice indicated that offering a subscription service in Europe could be a way to comply with the ruling, Meta said. A subscription can allow users to access the platforms without their personal information being used to sell ads.
“We respect the spirit and purpose of these evolving European regulations and are committed to complying with them,” the company said in a statement announcing the new paid tier on its website.
Meta added that while it is committed to keeping people’s information private and secure, it believes in an “ad-supported Internet” that offers people personalized products and services while allowing small businesses to reach potential customers.
Max Schrems, a privacy activist in Austria whose legal challenges against Meta contributed to the product changes, said the subscription offerings were not in line with EU data protection law, the so-called General Data Protection Regulation. He promised to challenge it in court.
“If we move to a system where we pay for your rights, if you have a right to privacy it will depend on how deep your pockets are,” Mr Schrems said. “We are very skeptical as to whether this complies with the law.”
Aside from Meta, Apple is expected to be required in March by another EU law, the Digital Markets Act, to allow customers to download alternatives to its App Store for the first time. The Digital Markets Act was passed last year to boost competition in the tech industry. Google is also making changes to comply with the new law.
Last December, Amazon also made changes to its shopping service to give third-party sellers access to more valuable real estate on the company’s website as part of a settlement with EU antitrust regulators.