UPDATED 22:34 EDT / OCTOBER 30 2023

POLICY

Meta is offering ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram to keep EU regulators at bay

Meta Platforms Inc. today announced an advertisement-free, paid subscription service available for users of Facebook and Instagram in the European Union.

Starting in November, users in the 27 countries of the EU, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, will know what it feels like to scroll through the platforms while not being inundated with often-annoying ads. The cost will be 9.99 euros ($11) a month on the web or 12.99 euros ($14) a month on iOS and Android, a little bit less than the ad-free option X Corp. recently announced for all its customers.

Regular Facebook and Instagram will still be available. The costs could add up for people with more than one account. Meta said at the start, linked accounts will fall under that one subscription fee, but after March 1, 2024, users will need to fork out a further six euros ($6.36) per month on the web and eight euros ($8.48) for mobile for every additional account.

The subscription model is for now available only to users over the age of 18. Meta will pause all ads on Facebook and Instagram for that age group in November, although the company says it’s still in the process of working out a “responsible ad experience given this evolving regulatory landscape” for young people.

“We believe in an ad-supported internet, which gives people access to personalized products and services regardless of their economic status,” Meta wrote in the announcement. “And like other companies, we’ll continue to advocate for an ad-supported internet, even with our new subscription offering in the E.U., EEA, and Switzerland. But we respect the spirit and purpose of these evolving European regulations and are committed to complying with them.”

Such vast changes to products whose bread and butter is advertising come after the E.U.’s sweeping regulations: General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Privacy Act. Meta and other large tech platforms have already been hit with some serious fines over how they conduct their business.

Photo: Dima Solomin/Unsplash

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