‘Meta is considering ad-free subscriptions for Instagram and Facebook in Europe’

Meta is considering releasing paid versions of Facebook and Instagram, which will not show users ads. Insiders report this to The New York Times. The alleged subscriptions will only be available in Europe.

Meta is considering internally issuing such subscriptions in the European Union, three insiders say to The New York Times. Users who pay for those subscriptions will then no longer see advertisements on the platforms. Free versions of the platforms with ads also remain available in Europe, the sources said.

According to the newspaper, the possible subscriptions are a response to stricter supervision by European regulators, including the recently introduced Digital Services Act. The tech giant was also imposed several GDPR fines in the past. In May, Meta received a GDPR fine of 1.2 billion euros because the company unlawfully sent the data of European users to servers in the US.

Meta hopes that the subscriptions will alleviate privacy concerns from European regulators, because users will then be able to choose between paid subscriptions and free versions with ads. The sources told The New York Times, who wished to remain anonymous because the plans are confidential. It is not known what the alleged subscriptions will cost and when Meta hopes to introduce them.