Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, offers paid subscriptions to European users

Meta announced Monday that from November it will offer paid subscriptions to Europeans to use Instagram and Facebook without advertising — and thus comply with European legislation on personal data and targeted advertising.

Users in the EU, Switzerland and the rest of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Norway, Liechenstein) “will have the choice to continue to use the two platforms for free” with personalized advertisements, “or to subscribe for no longer see advertisements,” said the American company. The subscription will be 9.99 euros per month for their Instagram or Facebook account on computer, and 12.99 euros for mobile applications on smartphones.

Until March 6, 2024 to comply with European regulations

This offer will begin “in November”, underlines the press release without further details. From March 1, each additional account added to the subscription will increase the monthly bill by 6 to 8 euros. Users who do not consent to the American group collecting their personal data for advertising targeting purposes would thus retain access to the platforms, for a fee. Subscribers will have the guarantee “that their data will not be used for advertisements”, underlines Meta.

Internet giants Meta and Google have built their empires on revenue generated by finely targeted advertising using the personal data they collect from their billions of users. But the EU has been fighting for years against the tracking of Internet users without their consent, first with the European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of 2016, then with the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA), which came into force this summer. The digital platforms concerned have until March 6, 2024 to comply.

Last May, Meta was hit with a record €1.2 billion fine from the Irish regulator, acting on behalf of the EU, for breaching the GDPR with its Facebook network – the fourth fine imposed on Meta in the EU in six months. Then last July, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) inflicted a new setback, recalling that users of social networks must “be free to refuse individually (…) to give their consent to special processing of data.

Subscriptions accessible only to those over 18 years old

And at the beginning of September, the Norwegian courts rejected Meta’s request for the suspension of a ban on behavioral advertising on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, which earned it a daily fine in the Scandinavian country. “We believe in an Internet supported by advertising, which allows people to access personalized products and services regardless of their economic status (…) and which allows small businesses to reach potential customers”, a observed Meta in his press release.

“But we respect the spirit and purpose of these evolving European regulations (…) The ability for people to purchase an ad-free subscription balances the requirements of European regulators while giving users a choice,” he said. he argues.

Subscription plans will only be accessible to users over 18 years old. For adolescents below this age, “we continue to explore ways to offer (them) a useful and responsible advertising experience given the evolving regulatory landscape,” concludes Meta.