Meta has introduced ad-free subscriptions for Facebook and Instagram in the EU (European Union), EEA (European Economic Area), and Switzerland to comply with evolving European regulations. Starting from November, those who use Facebook or Instagram and reside in these regions can choose between free, ad-supported services, or a subscription to remove ads. While subscribed, the user data won’t be used for advertising purposes, as per Meta.
Announcing the updates, Meta posted, “We believe in an ad-supported internet, which gives people access to personalised products and services regardless of their economic status. It also allows small businesses to reach potential customers, grow their business and create new markets, driving growth in the European economy. And like other companies we’ll continue to advocate for an ad-supported internet, even with our new subscription offering in the EU, EEA and Switzerland. But we respect the spirit and purpose of these evolving European regulations, and are committed to complying with them.”
“We announced in August our intention to move people in the EU, EEA and Switzerland to the GDPR legal basis of “Consent” for the purpose of processing data collected on our own platforms for advertising purposes. We made that change to address a number of evolving and emerging regulatory requirements in the region. This includes how our lead data protection regulator in the EU, the Irish Data Protection Commission, is interpreting GDPR following a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and anticipating the entry into force of the Digital Markets Act (DMA),” Meta added.
The no-ads subscription for Facebook and Instagram is available to individuals aged 18 and above in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland. Depending on the platform, the subscription will cost €9.99 per month (~US$10.65 or ~₹886 in India) on the web or €12.99 per month (~US$13.85 or ~₹1,153 in India) on iOS and Android. These prices account for fees charged by Apple and Google, in line with their respective policies.
The initial subscription fee covers all linked accounts in a user’s Accounts Center until 1st March 2024. After 1st March 2024, an additional fee of €6 per month (~US$6.40 or ~₹532 in India) on the web and €8 per month (~US$8.53 or ~₹710 in India) on iOS and Android will apply for each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center.
