Facebook and Instagram are letting users in the EU pay to stop seeing adverts on the social media platforms, owner Meta has announced. The tech giant, run by Mark Zuckerberg, is rolling out the subscription option for people in the EU, European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland from November.
The subscription will cost 9.99 euros (£8.73) per month – or £104 a year – on the web or 12.99 euros (£11.35) per month on iOS and Android, Meta said. “We believe in an ad-supported internet, which gives people access to personalised products and services regardless of their economic status,” the company said.
“It also allows small businesses to reach potential customers, grow their business and create new markets, driving growth in the European economy. But we respect the spirit and purpose of these evolving European regulations, and are committed to complying with them.”
To comply with evolving European regulations, we are introducing a new subscription option in the EU, EEA and Switzerland. In November, we will be offering people who use Facebook or Instagram and reside in these regions the choice to continue using these personalised services for free with ads, or subscribe to stop seeing ads.
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While people are subscribed, their information will not be used for ads, Meta went on. “The subscription for no ads will be available for people aged 18 and up, and we’re continuing to explore how to provide teens with a useful and responsible ad experience given this evolving regulatory landscape,” Meta said.
If you choose to continue to use our products for free, your experience will stay the same. “Advertisers will be able to continue running personalised advertising campaigns in Europe to reach those who choose to continue to receive a free, ad-supported online service. Going forward, we will continue to invest to build new tools that preserve the value that both people and businesses get out of personalised advertising, while allowing users to control their ads experience on our platforms,” it added.
