Meta announced today that in order to comply with European regulators after violating the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it will offer users in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland the option of paying a monthly subscription charge to use Facebook and Instagram without advertisements.
While individuals are subscribed, their information will not be used for advertising. If they continue to use the services for free, they will still get targeted advertising.
“Whether people choose to use our products for free with advertisements or pay to remove them, we are committed to keeping their information private and secure in accordance with our own policies and the” GDPR.
The subscription will cost €9.99 per month on the web or €12.99 per month on iOS and Android, and it will apply to all Facebook and Instagram accounts that are linked. The iOS and Android pricing takes into consideration fees levied by Apple and Google. Through March 1, 2024, the initial subscription will cover all of the user’s linked accounts. After that, a monthly fee of €6 on the web and €8 on iOS and Android will be charged for each additional account. The ad-free subscription will be available to those over the age of 18. Given the ever-changing regulatory landscape, we continue to investigate how to provide teenagers with a responsible advertising experience.
However, we respect the spirit and intent of these evolving European regulations and are devoted to complying with them, as stated by Meta.
In May, the EU fined Meta $1.3 billion for violating its data privacy regulations by transmitting European user data to U.S. servers. After a legal tussle, the EU essentially barred the platform from harvesting user data from its platforms for targeted advertising without user consent.
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Meta Launches Ad-Free Subscriptions for EU Users, Complying with CJEU and GDPR
“The option to purchase an ad-free subscription strikes a balance between the needs of European regulators and the desires of consumers, allowing Meta to continue serving everyone in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland. “In its ruling, the CJEU explicitly acknowledged that a subscription model, such as the one we are announcing, is a valid form of consent for an ad-supported service,” said Meta.
“In August, we announced our intention to transition individuals in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland to the GDPR’s “consent” legal basis for processing data collected on our own platforms for advertising purposes.”
“We made this modification in response to a variety of evolving and new regulatory requirements in the region. This includes how the Irish Data Protection Commission interprets GDPR in light of a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and in anticipation of the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The DMA, which is one of the pillars of the European digital strategy, addresses the issue of certain large online platforms acting as “gatekeepers” in digital markets. According to the website of the European Commission, it seeks to identify intermediaries and “ensure that these platforms behave fairly online.”
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Source: Deadline
