Meta announced that it will soon provide users in the United Kingdom with a new option: paying a monthly fee to use Instagram and Facebook without any advertisements.
The subscription service, which will be offered to users 18 and older in the coming weeks, will cost £3 per month for those signing up on a web browser. For subscribers using the iOS or Android mobile apps, the price will be higher at £4 per month. The company attributed this price difference to the fees charged by Apple and Google through their respective app stores.
A single subscription will cover all of a user’s linked Facebook and Instagram accounts listed in their Meta Accounts Center. Each additional account connected to that center will cost an extra £2 per month on the web, or £3 per month on mobile devices. Users who do not opt for the paid plan will continue to see ads and can still use the platforms for free, with the option of managing the types of ads they see through their Ad Preferences settings.
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This move is a direct response to new regulatory guidance from Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office. The “consent or pay” model requires companies to give users a choice between allowing their data to be used for personalized advertising or paying a fee to opt out.
Meta has previously faced challenges with a similar model in the European Union. The company initially introduced a more expensive ad-free subscription there, priced at 10 euros, but was fined 200 million euros by the European Commission for allegedly failing to comply with the bloc’s strict Digital Markets Act. A revised, cheaper plan was later proposed and is currently under review.
In its statement, Meta commended the British regulator for its “constructive approach” and reaffirmed its belief that personalized ads benefit users and businesses.
Source: FB Newsroom