With the introduction of its ad-free subscription service, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, offers European users the chance to enjoy their favourite social platforms without being bombarded with advertisements. The recent ruling of the EU's Court of Justice ordered Meta to obtain the consent of users before personalizing any ads for those users in response to a recent ruling issued by the Court of Justice of the EU. With this move, Meta is showing that it is complying with the regulatory framework that is changing in the European Union.
According to the announcement, users in these regions will have the opportunity to choose between continuing to use the platforms for free ad-support or signing up for a free ad-free subscription experience in November. There is no possibility that the user information will be used for targeting adverts during the subscription period.
Facebook and Instagram users in the European Union are soon going to be able to enjoy an ad-free experience but at a cost. Starting in November of this year, we will be able to opt into the new, premium service offered by Meta, which is the company’s parent company that owns the platforms. Meta is the company behind the platforms that operates the platforms and is the parent company of Meta.
Regarding pricing, 18-and-up users will be asked to pay €9.99 per month (roughly $10.55 per month) if they want to access sites without advertisements through a web browser, and €12.99 for users who want to access websites through streamlined iOS and Android apps. Facebook users will not be shown ads on Facebook or Instagram after enrolling in the program, and their data and online activities will not be used to tailor future ads based on their browsing activity.
Every additional account added to a user's Account Center in the future will be charged an additional fee of €6 per month for the web and €8 per month for iOS and Android devices beginning on March 1, 2024, by way of an increase of fees every month.
Historically, Meta has operated solely by offering free social networking services to its users, and by selling advertising to companies who wish to reach those users. As a result of data privacy laws and other government policies that are affecting technology companies, especially in Europe, it illustrate the fact that companies have been redesigning their products to comply with those policies.
It is estimated that more than 450 million Europeans, across 27 countries, use Amazon, Apple, Google, TikTok and other companies to comply with new rules in the European Union. The number of people using Facebook each month is estimated to be 258 million, according to Meta's estimates. According to Meta's estimate, 257 million people use Instagram every month as well.
For iOS and Android, it is important to note that the prices are adjusted based on the fees imposed by Apple and Google by their respective purchasing policies. The subscription will be valid until March 1, 2024, for all linked accounts within the Account Center of a user for six months. A monthly fee of €6 will, however, be charged starting March 1, 2024, for each additional account listed in a user's Account Center, starting on the web and €8 for iOS and Android.
Meta was effectively barred from combining data collected from users across its various platforms - including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp - as well as from outside websites and apps in July, by the European Court of Justice, the highest court in the European Union, to protect the privacy of users. The E.U. regulators issued the fine in January for forcing Meta users to accept personalized ads as a requirement of using Facebook in a condition of fines of three billion euros. That decision was issued in response to a violation of privacy regulations.
This may be a solution to comply in full with the judgment provided that we offer a subscription service without displaying adverts to our subscribers in Europe, Meta said in response to the European Court of Justice's judgement of July.
A subscription can allow users to access the platforms without being exposed to the advertising that is displayed to their subscribers.
There has been no paid and ad-free subscription for services like Facebook and Instagram since Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg were formed in the early days of the company. As far as they are concerned, they have always believed that they can only offer their services for free, provided that advertisements accompany them.
However, Meta is now offering a way for Instagram and Facebook users to subscribe to both services through one simple option. Due to pressure from the European Union, the move was made after the move was put forward, and therefore, the option is only available to customers in the European Union.
This means that Instagram users in India will remain exposed to ads no matter whether they choose them or not, and will still see them on their feeds. In any case, if Instagram subscription plans prove to be popular in the European Union and Meta sees value in them, it might be possible for similar Instagram subscription plans to be introduced to India in the future.
It does seem quite a steep subscription price - even more so if users look at the figures in Indian rupees which would be Rs 880-Rs 1150 - but given that it allows users to enjoy Instagram and Facebook in ad-free settings, it is tempting. As well as this promise, Meta also promises that users of their paid plans will not be able to use their personal information for targeted marketing purposes.
A short time ago Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview that Facebook wants their users to have free access to their service and added ads to it so that users and the company benefit from the process. This is one of the things that has been talked about again and again by Facebook and their CEO.
There will be no change to the ad-supported experience that Facebook and Instagram currently provide to users who choose to continue using the service for free. In Meta, users will be able to control their ad preferences and the ads shown to them as well as the data used for ad targeting by using tools and settings that will enable them to influence what ads they see and what data is used.
It is important to note that advertisers will continue to be able to target users who have opted for free, ad-supported online services in Europe, so they will still be able to conduct personalised advertising campaigns. To preserve both user and business value on its platforms, Meta commits to investing in new tools that offer enhanced controls over ad experiences on its platforms, so it can preserve value for both.
Meta is actively exploring options to provide teenagers with a responsible ad experience in line with the evolving regulatory landscape so that they will be able to explore advertising in a safe environment. Users over 18 will have the option of becoming subscribers for an ad-free experience, and Meta is actively exploring options to support teenagers in this area.
