Meta to Consider Paid Ad-Free Facebook, Instagram in Europe

Meta is planning to launch a paid version of Facebook and Instagram with no advertisements for European Union (EU) users.

Meta to Compromise With EU Policy

In a New York Times report, three people with knowledge of the company's plans confirmed that Meta is considering the move to appease the government policies of EU. The ad-free Facebook and Instagram might be the best solution at hand with EU's privacy concerns against Meta. For years, Meta has been utilizing the personal data of each user to present ads that are compatible to the user's behavior on the platform.

Meta has been facing legal implications with EU and has even resulted to Meta to be banned on collecting data from its users across all its platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The company was also fined by Irish regulators after proving that the company was forcing users to accept personalized so that they can use Facebook.

Due to the current rocky situation, EU users are experiencing a different Meta. For instance, EU-based users were blocked from using Meta's latest app, Threads.

Meta Paid Subscription Vs. Free Apps

While the paid subscription will bring ad-free usage of the apps, the source confirmed that Meta will still offer free versions of Facebook and Instagram with ads in EU. However, there will still be limitation on how much personal data can Meta acquire from its free users.

As of writing, Meta is yet to formally introduce the plan and discuss the price for the paid versions. Regardless, it is clear that EU-based users will be experiencing Meta apps in a different lens compared to the rest of the world.