Facebook and Instagram without advertising, that sounds too good to be true. Still, it seems likely to happen in the near future.
Facebook and Instagram without advertising
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is likely to soon launch ad-free versions of both Facebook and Instagram in the European Union. The company has long been embroiled in a battle with the EU over alleged privacy violations of its ad tracking services. The new Digital Markets Act (DMA) must put an end to this.
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has fined Meta $1.3 billion for transferring data from European users to the US, a violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The US and EU signed an agreement on such data transfers in July, making it easier to restrict social media platforms from doing so.
Facebook without advertising: the catch
By offering Facebook and Instagram advertising-free, Meta is now trying to comply with upcoming EU regulations. But Mark Zuckerberg’s company is of course not going to give up without a fight.
The ad-free versions will become part of a subscription service. If you want to use it, you have to pay for it. How much is not yet clear. At the same time, Meta will continue to offer free versions of Facebook and Instagram in the EU that still have advertising. It is not yet known when the subscription service will become available.
Meta Verified may be even more expensive
In any case, it is expected that the subscription will have a hefty price, just like the current subscriptions at Meta. For Meta Verified you already pay 16.99 euros per month for a subscription to one profile. Would you like to add a profile to that? Then that is 28.99 euros monthly. These subscriptions are already available on Instagram and Facebook, but with advertising.
The ad-free version of the platforms will probably also be introduced through these subscriptions. This then becomes one of the advantages of Meta Verified. It is quite possible that Meta will increase subscription prices once advertising on Facebook and Instagram is removed for subscribers.
The new social platform Threads
Meta has also postponed the launch of its new social platform Threads in Europe due to regulatory issues. The company seems to be somewhat concerned about the upcoming Digital Markets Act, which prohibits companies from reusing personal user data (including name and location).
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