Meta is exploring introducing a £8.69 (€10) ad-free subscription plan for EU users to access Instagram and Facebook – unless they allow the company to use their personal information for targeted ads.
Several pricing plans were discussed, but it was thought that this price point would be more feasible, reported two Meta sources to The Wall Street Journal.
The potential move follows Meta’s attempt to find a loophole in new European Union regulations that threaten to curb its ability to personalise ads for users without their consent – thus hurting its major revenue source.
A Luxembourg court ruling from earlier this year found Facebook “cannot justify” the use of personal data to target consumers unless it gains their consent, saying that the platform should explore a subscription model in its ruling.
As a result, the platform is thought to be ready to introduce a choice between a free, ad-supported plan and a paid subscription with the aim of encouraging users to opt for the former.
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Yet the new paid subscription would be among the more expensive pricing plans, more than Netflix’s streaming subscription, which charges £6.99 (€7.99) for a basic plan.
There are also additional fees related to the new move, such as, on mobile devices the price for a single account would jump to €13 (£11.28/month) – to factor in commissions charged by Apple’s and Google’s app stores.
In addition, the US tech giant could also charge $17 for Facebook and Instagram together for use on a desktop.
Critics have already responded to Meta’s plans, voicing their concerns about paying for the platforms.
“Fundamental rights cannot be for sale,” said privacy activist Max Schrems to the Financial Times.
“Are we going to pay for the right to vote or the right to free speech next? This would mean that only the rich can enjoy these rights, at a time when many people are struggling to make ends meet.”
Social media users have expressed their concern about Meta’s update, with one commenting, on X/Twitter; “now all media platforms [will] begin to start charging its users like X”.
Another user appeared to be sceptical about how many people will actually sign up for the ad-free tier, saying, “Yeah, good luck getting people to pay for that”.
Meta’s latest announcement follows in the wake of rival platforms introducing paid-tier subscriptions – including X’s £6.63 ($8) a month blue checkmark verification for all individuals. Recently X has also alluded to the introduction of an ad-free tier.
Earlier this week, video-sharing social media platform, TikTok also announced its intention to introduce a paid ad-free tier.
