Users in the UK can access an ad-free experience on Facebook and Instagram for a monthly fee of £3.99.
In response to regulatory concerns regarding personalized ads that utilize user data for targeted marketing, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has introduced this subscription service.
Web users will pay £2.99 per month, while mobile users can enjoy ad-free scrolling for £3.99 monthly. If accounts are linked, users will only be charged one fee.
“This gives individuals in the UK the option of continuing to use Facebook and Instagram for free with personalized ads or choosing to avoid ads altogether,” Meta stated.
The company announced that the new service would be available in the upcoming weeks. Users without a subscription will continue to see ads based on their personal data.
This subscription model mirrors offerings by Meta in the EU, which the European Commission has deemed a violation of the Digital Markets Act aimed at regulating major tech companies.
The Commission recommended a €200 million fine this year and suggested releasing a free version of the platform that relies on less detailed personal information such as gender, age, and location for ad targeting.
The UK’s intelligence committee, a data oversight authority, expressed its support for this initiative.
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“This transition moves Meta away from using targeted ad practices as a condition of Facebook and Instagram service usage, clarifying compliance with UK law,” a spokesperson from the ICO stated.
Source: www.theguardian.com
