Pay for Facebook and Instagram? For those of us who use free applications, this may seem unthinkable.
parent company Meta announced this on Friday. that UK users can pay for a subscription to Facebook or Instagram if they don’t want to see targeted ads. Anyone in the US who no longer wants to see products on their social networks can opt out of ads.
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office published guidance on ad-free subscriptions earlier this year and said on Friday that this was the case. welcomed the change.
“As a result, Meta will no longer target ads to users as part of the standard terms of service for its Facebook and Instagram services, which we believe are inconsistent with UK law,” the statement said. “Meta’s approach allows users to choose whether they want to accept personalized advertising or pay a monthly subscription for an ad-free service, the so-called subscription or payment model.
An ad-free subscription for a user’s first Meta account, for web use only, costs £3 per month (about $4). It costs £4 per month ($5.35) for use on iOS and Android. Meta says in its statement that iOS and Android subscriptions are more expensive because of the fees charged by Apple and Google.
If someone has a second account and wants to remain ad-free, the cost of that account will drop slightly to £2/month ($2.68) on the web or £3/month ($4.02) on iOS and Android.
The Information Commissioner’s Office said it will monitor Meta’s implementation of the changes “to ensure consumers have the ability to make decisions and consent freely.”
Metapages do not show the same ads in all users’ feeds. The company uses people’s data to deliver personalized ads, saying it helps people discover relevant products and services and helps businesses reach customers who are likely to take advantage of their offerings.
UK businesses can still offer personalized ads to people who don’t want to pay for the ad-free version.
Facebook and Instagram users in the EU, where the option to opt-out of ads will be available from 2023, will have to pay more than double the price in the UK if they want to use the service without ads. HE The BBC reports that subscription costs in the EU start at €6 (equivalent to GBP 5.23 or USD 7).