Meta introduces ad-free subscription for Facebook and Instagram in Europe!

Meta is launching a premium membership service that will eliminate Facebook and Instagram advertisements. The service will be available throughout the European Union and will cost roughly €9.99 per month on the web or €12.99 per month on iOS and Android to account for platform-specific expenses.

The subscription is intended to satisfy the European Union's concerns about Meta's ad targeting and data gathering methods. Meta believes that by forcing users to choose between paying for the service to remove ad targeting and using it for free but consenting to its data collection practices, it will have more clearly and definitively met the privacy requirements set by a collection of European data laws, including the Digital Markets Act and GDPR.

Meta has stated that it will continue to provide free access to its goods to anyone who do not desire to pay. The experience for nonpaying users will not alter, according to the business, and its existing ad preference options will remain available.

The ad-free membership will be offered only to EU, EEA, and Swiss residents aged 18 and over. It will be applied to all linked Facebook and Instagram accounts at first, but Meta will ultimately charge a fee for linked accounts. Starting March 1st, 2024, there will be a €6 online cost or a €8 iOS and Android fee per connected account. According to the firm, as long as a person is enrolled, their data will not be utilized for ad targeting.

The tone of Meta's announcement indicates that the corporation continues to prioritize the ad-supported business on which its platforms are founded. The service will be available only in places with rigorous data protection laws, and even then, it will be an optional purchase. In its blog post, the business states that it "believes in an ad-supported internet" and presents the new subscription only as a product developed to comply with European legislation.

Nonetheless, it is a product that many have requested. Facebook's products follow you around the internet and then provide you adverts depending on your actions. Now we'll see how much people are prepared to pay to avoid its stare — and the annoyance of endless adverts on their Instagram feed.