Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is set to launch paid, ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram for users in the United Kingdom. The UK government welcomes the option of a paid social media subscription, saying that it “moves Meta away from targeting users with ads as part of the standard terms and conditions for using its Facebook and Instagram services, which we’ve been clear is not in line with UK law.”
Meta has announced that it will soon offer paid versions of Facebook and Instagram in the UK, allowing users to access the platforms without being subjected to advertisements. The rollout is expected to begin in the coming weeks, giving users over the age of 18 the choice to subscribe to the ad-free services.
The paid versions will be priced at £2.99 ($4) per month for web access and £3.99 for the iOS or Android apps. Meta explained that the higher price for app access is due to the subscription fees imposed by Apple and Google on their respective app stores.
This decision comes as Meta continues to navigate the complex landscape of Europe’s strict online privacy regulations while striving to maintain its advertising revenue, which accounted for 97 percent of the company’s total revenue last year. The introduction of paid, ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram is seen as an attempt to strike a balance between user privacy and the company’s financial interests.
Meta had previously released a more expensive subscription-based offering in the EU in 2023. However, the company faced a €200 million ($232 million) fine in April after regulators argued that the model still violated the bloc’s digital antitrust rules and did not provide users with a genuine free choice. In response, Meta made adjustments to align the system with EU regulations, but the European Commission requested further changes in July, implying that the company could face daily fines if the overhaul is deemed insufficient.
In contrast to the EU, the UK has taken a more lenient approach to internet privacy since its departure from the European Union. This has allowed Meta to proceed with the rollout of the paid versions in the UK market. The company stated that it had engaged in extensive discussions with the UK’s privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), regarding the implementation of the new model.
The ICO welcomed the introduction of the paid, ad-free versions, stating that it “moves Meta away from targeting users with ads as part of the standard terms and conditions for using its Facebook and Instagram services, which we’ve been clear is not in line with UK law.”
Read more at Bloomberg here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
