Social networking giant Meta is making a significant move in the European Union (EU) where it will offer paid subscriptions to Instagram and Facebook users, in the wake of the region's comprehensive digital regulation strategy. The paid versions of Facebook and Instagram will come with no ads for users in the EU, The New York Times has reported, citing three people with knowledge of the development. Those opting for the premium membership plans will have a seamless experience and will get to choose to stay out of the company's ad-based services that rely on ad-based revenue models tied to user engagement.
Those who pay for Facebook and Instagram subscriptions would not see ads in the apps, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plans are confidential. That may help Meta fend off privacy concerns and other scrutiny from EU regulators by giving users an alternative to the company’s ad-based services, which rely on analyzing people’s data, the NYT report added.
The social networking giant will also continue to offer free versions of Facebook and Instagram, but they will come with ads in the EU. There is no clarity on how much the paid versions of the social media apps would cost or the exact timeline of launch.
To recall, the Facebook parent confirmed its plans to introduce non-personalised content feeds on its platforms for users in the EU last month, ahead of the impending deadline of August 25.
Meta's move was in line with the Digital Services Act (DSA), a revamped set of digital regulations enforced by the EU. The announcement from Meta came shortly after a similar declaration from ByteDance-owned TikTok.
The DSA mandates that major platforms and search engines, referred to as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSE), provide EU users with the option to disable AI-driven personalisation. This feature tailors content based on users' tracking and profiling data.