On Monday, media reported that Meta Platforms is exploring a plan that could make users in the European Union shell out as much as $14 to access ad-free versions of Instagram or Facebook or agree to personalized ads for the free versions.
Meta Looking To Charge For Ad Free Instagram or Facebook Versions
Further, Meta is planning to charge roughly 10 euros ($10.46) a month on a desktop for a Facebook or Instagram account, and about 6 euros for each additional linked account, as part of this plan, said the people familiar with the proposal.
The prices for a single account on mobile devices would jump to roughly 13 euros owing to the fact that Meta would factor in commissions charged by Apple’s and Google’s app stores, as per the media report.
At the start of this year, the social media company was fined 390 million euros by Ireland’s Data Privacy Commissioner.
They further instructed the company that it cannot use the so-called “contract” legal basis to send users ads based on their online activity.
In its defense, Meta said it intended to ask users in the EU for their consent before allowing businesses to target advertising in order to address a number of evolving regulatory requirements in the region.
Further, the report talks about Meta’s plan where the company has told European regulators that it hopes to roll out the ad-free plan now, which it calls subscription no ads (SNA), in the coming months for users in Europe.
Free Services With Personalized Ads Or Complying With Regulatory Requirements
The company believes in “free services which are supported by personalized ads” but is exploring “options to ensure we comply with evolving regulatory requirements,” said a Meta spokesman in the Journal.
It is noteworthy here that Meta, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission and the European Commission did not release any comment outside regular business hours.
Earlier Meta was in news as it was considering paid versions of Facebook and Instagram with no ads for users residing in the EU, without giving details about how much they would cost.
