GDPR: Meta introduces paid subscriptions for Facebook and Instagram

Starting in November, Meta will also offer ad-free access to Facebook and Instagram in Europe. If access is booked via the web, it will cost 10 euros per month. If it is billed via the Google and Apple AppStores, it will cost 13 euros per month, Meta announced. The fees charged by Apple and Google in their respective stores were taken into account.

The subscription will be offered in the EU, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. It will cover all linked accounts in a user's Account Centre until 1 March 2024. After that, an additional fee of €6 per month on the web and €8 per month for iOS and Android is to be charged for each additional account listed in a user's Account Centre.

European regulations

Meta justifies the move with "evolving European regulations". In September, it had already been reported that Meta was looking into such fee-based, ad-free accounts in order to comply with EU data protection regulations, the Digital Service Act and the upcoming Digital Markets Act, among others.

The core of Meta's business model so far has been to attract people to its own services with free-to-use social networks and to offer advertisers the opportunity to target them with their ads in return for payment.

Source: www.heise.de