By JKNewsMedia
FACEBOOK AND Instagram users in the United Kingdom (UK) will soon be able to access advert-free versions of the social networks for a monthly subscription fee of up to £3.99.
Meta, the parent company of the platforms, confirmed the rollout in response to regulatory concerns about personalised advertising, where users’ personal data is analysed to generate targeted adverts.
The company stated that web users will be charged £2.99 a month, while mobile phone users will pay £3.99. For users with linked accounts, only one monthly fee will apply.
“This will give people based in the UK the choice between continuing to use Facebook and Instagram for free with personalised ads, or subscribing to stop seeing ads,” Meta said.
The company added that the subscription service will be introduced over the coming weeks. Those who do not opt for the subscription will continue to see adverts.
The model mirrors a similar service launched by Meta in the European Union, which has drawn scrutiny under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.
The European Commission fined Meta €200 million this year, ruling that the company should have instead provided a free version of its services that relied on less detailed personal data such as gender, age, and location to deliver targeted adverts.
In the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) welcomed the new subscription option.
“This moves Meta away from targeting users with ads as part of the standard terms and conditions for using its Facebook and Instagram services, which we’ve been clear is not in line with UK law,” a spokesperson for the ICO said.
Earlier this year, the ICO stated that internet users should have the option to “opt out” of having their data used for personalised adverts.
The regulator’s position followed Meta’s settlement of a legal case brought by Tanya O’Carroll, a UK-based human rights campaigner.
O’Carroll argued that Facebook had breached UK data protection law by failing to respect her right to stop the collection of her data for targeted advertising.
Meta also agreed to cease targeting O’Carroll with personalised adverts and subsequently confirmed it was considering the introduction of an advert-free subscription.
Meanwhile, legal experts have noted that the ICO’s support for Meta’s subscription diverges from the European Union’s approach.
Gareth Oldale, a partner at UK law firm TLT, described the stance as a reflection of the UK’s regulatory priorities.
“This position is certainly pro-business and illustrative of the UK government’s direction to regulators to support economic growth and development of the digital economy,” Oldale said.
“It does, however, mean that the divergence between the UK and the EU positions has grown a little wider.”
