Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is considering charging users in the EU €13 (£11) a month to access an ad-free version of Instagram or Facebook on their phones, as the company grapples with regulatory pressure on how it uses people’s data.
Meta is also weighing a €17 charge to use Instagram and Facebook without adverts on desktop, according to sources close to the discussions. Accessing both apps on smartphones would cost about €19 a month.
The social media company is considering the charges after a July ruling by the European court of justice, the highest in the EU. The Luxembourg-based court stated that under Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Facebook cannot justify using personal details to target people with personalised ads – its core means of earning money from operating the platform – unless it receives their consent first.
The use of subscription charges as an alternative was mooted in the court ruling, which raised the possibility of charging an “appropriate fee” to access an ad-free version.
Meta is discussing its plans with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, which regulates the business across the EU because Meta’s regional base is in Dublin, and with European officials in Brussels.
It was also reported on Monday by the news site TechCrunch that TikTok was about to test a subscription to an ad-free service for $4.99 a month for users in an unnamed English-speaking market outside the US.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Meta’s ad-free plan is called SNA, which stands for subscription no ads, and would give users the choice of continuing to access Facebook or Instagram for free with personalised adverts, or paying for ad-free versions.
The plan could be introduced next month because Meta has until the end of November to comply with the ECJ ruling. However, it is understood that regulators are looking at the size of the fees and whether they are too expensive for people who do not want to be targeted by adverts.