Hate ads on Insta and Facebook? Meta is demanding Rs 1200 a month to not show you any

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is reportedly considering a plan that could require European Union (EU) users to pay up to $14 or about Rs 1200 for ad-free versions of these social media platforms or agree to personalized ads for the free versions, as per the Wall Street Journal’s report.

Under this proposal, Meta may charge approximately 10 euros ($10.46) per month for a Facebook or Instagram account accessed on a desktop and approximately 6 euros for each additional linked account. On mobile devices, the cost for a single account would rise to around 13 euros, taking into account the commissions levied by Apple’s and Google’s app stores.

As far as people familiar can tell, the paid, ad-free version of Instagram and Facebook will only be available in the EU for now.

This move follows a 390 million euro fine imposed on Meta earlier in the year by Ireland’s Data Privacy Commissioner, which prohibited the company from using the “contract” legal basis to send users ads based on their online activity. In response, Meta expressed its intention to seek user consent before allowing businesses to target advertising, aiming to meet evolving regulatory requirements in the EU.

Meta has now informed European regulators of its plans to introduce the ad-free subscription plan, referred to as “subscription no ads (SNA),” in the coming months for EU users, as reported.

A spokesperson for Meta stated that the company values “free services supported by personalized ads” but is exploring options to ensure compliance with changing regulatory requirements.

The New York Times had previously mentioned Meta’s consideration of paid versions of Facebook and Instagram without ads for EU users, without specifying the pricing details.