Facebook and Instagram: Meta lowers ad-free plan by 4 and 5 euros
Facebook and Instagram are available without advertising in Europe for a year now - for a fee. Subscriptions required for this will now be noticeably cheaper.
(Image: Top_CNX/Shutterstock.com)
The paid subscription for Facebook and Instagram in the European Economic Area (EEA) is becoming cheaper. Those who do not pay for this will soon be able to insist on less personalized ads. Meta announced this on Wednesday night and blamed "persistent demands from regulatory authorities" for the move. The demands go beyond what is required by law, Meta claims, but the company still wants to comply with them. For Facebook and Instagram without advertising, the price in the browser will now be six euros instead of ten euros, while under Android and iOS the price will fall from 13 euros to eight euros.
Tracking for advertising or money
Meta introduced the paid subscriptions for Facebook and Instagram without ads a year ago. This step was preceded by immense pressure from the European Union, which wanted to implement data protection regulations. Without the ad-free subscription, users could only use the two social networks if they agreed to the tracking required for the targeted display of advertising. With the alternative that was then introduced, Meta was obviously following the example of so-called "pure subscriptions", which many German publishing houses have now introduced as a tracking-free model for using their services (including heise Medien).
Videos by heise
However, Meta's paid subscription was criticized after its introduction, which is why the US company announced a price reduction in the spring. Whether this will now silence the criticism remains to be seen. The move is accompanied by the introduction of another option for non-paying customers. In future, they will be able to choose whether the advertising displayed in the services may only be based on data collected during the respective Facebook or Instagram session. In return, however, the advertisements will become less relevant, warns Meta. In addition, ads that cannot be skipped will also be displayed in the feed. It should be possible to change the selection again.
It is unclear what financial consequences the steps will have for Meta, writes the Wall Street Journal. According to the report, Meta has informed the EU authorities that the less personalized ads are likely to have a negative impact on its business. Meta generates around a quarter of its revenue in Europe and is convinced that the steps go beyond the legal requirements. Meta is also firmly convinced that personalized advertising is an essential part of the ad-financed Internet, providing billions of people with free access to Internet services. The company will continue to campaign for laws that support responsible use.
(mho)
