Meta has announced that it is going to start offering new
subscriptions on Facebook and Instagram in November, which will allow users to
opt out of all ads on these platforms. Users who wish to continue accessing the
free versions of Instagram and Facebook will continue to see ads relevant to
them.
These subscriptions, or paid versions of the services, according
to Meta, have been developed in accordance with “evolving European regulations”
that demand social media platforms to provide a data tracking opt-out for their
users. Therefore, Meta’s offerings will only be available to users in the
EU, EEA and Switzerland.
The information of users who subscribe to the offering will not be used for ads, as opting out of ads means automatically avoiding related data tracking as well.
As for the cost of these subscriptions, Meta says that “depending
on where you purchase it will cost €9.99/month on the web or €12.99/month on
iOS and Android.”
Meta adds that many online subscriptions, including the ones
for iOS and Android take into account the fees that Apple and Google charge
through respective purchasing policies. Meta will allow users to have all their
linked accounts covered in the subscription until the 1st of March, 2024,
and will then add an “additional fee of €6/month on the web and €8/month on iOS
and Android” for each additional account.
“If you choose to continue to use our products for free,
your experience will stay the same – and that experience will continue to be
supported by the tools and settings that we have created to empower people to
control their ads experience,” says Meta.
