A monthly subscription will allow Instagram and Facebook users in Europe to opt out of personalized ads, parent company Meta announced.
Users in the European Union, as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, can purchase a monthly plan to access the platforms without advertising.
The company charges different prices for computer users and mobile phone users: €9.99 ($10.60) for regular web access and €12.99 ($13.78) for access via iOS and Android platforms.
An additional monthly fee of €6 ($6.37) on the web and €8 ($8.48) on mobile phones will be applied for each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center starting in March, the company said.
“Whether people choose to use our products for free with ads or subscribe to stop seeing ads, we are committed to keeping people’s information private and secure, under our own policies as well as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR),” Meta said.
European Privacy Regulations
The ad-free subscriptions are part of an effort to comply with multiple European privacy regulations due to concerns over Big Tech’s use of personalized ads and the recent explosive development of AI, which can process and analyze large amounts of information with great ease and efficiency.
Meta’s decision follows a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that agreed with the Irish Data Protection Commission over the legal interpretation of user “consent” as defined by the GDPR.
“In its ruling, the CJEU expressly recognized that a subscription model, like the one we are announcing, is a valid form of consent for an ads funded service,” Meta stated.
Users will still be able to use Instagram and Facebook for free but will continue to see the targeted ads. The subscription plans do not apply to users outside of Europe.
“We believe in a free, ad-supported internet—and will continue to offer people free access to our personalized products and services regardless of income,” Meta wrote.
The EU’s GDPR allows companies to collect the personal data of EU citizens as long as their use falls within certain categories but forbids data to be processed or stored outside the EU.
$1.3 Billion Fine
In May, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion fine for transferring European users’ personal information across the Atlantic in violation of the EU’s privacy laws.
“This decision is flawed, unjustified, and sets a dangerous precedent for the countless other companies transferring data between the EU and U.S.,” Meta said in a statement at the time.
The tech giant was given six months to erase the data collected from hundreds of millions of European Union users over 10 years stored in non-EU-based data centers. Seventeen of Meta’s 21 data centers are based in the United States, three in Europe and one in Singapore.
Meta again mentioned that those who continue the platforms for free have some control over the ads that they see through the apps’ Ad Preferences controls. The company promised to build new tools to preserve the value that both people and businesses get out of personalized advertising, including more ad customization for the users.
“We respect the spirit and purpose of these evolving European regulations, and are committed to complying with them,” Meta said.
