Paid subscriptions to Facebook and Instagram are becoming cheaper in the European Economic Area (EEA). Anyone who doesn’t pay will soon be able to insist on less personalized ads. Meta announced this on Wednesday night and attributed the move to “ongoing demands from regulatory authorities.” Meta claims the demands go beyond what is required by law, but the company still intends to comply with them. For Facebook and Instagram without ads, you will now have to pay six euros instead of ten euros in the browser, with the price dropping from 13 euros to eight euros on Android and iOS.
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Tracking for advertising or money
Meta introduced paid subscriptions to Facebook and Instagram without ads a year ago. The move was taken due to heavy pressure from the European Union, which wanted to enforce data protection rules. Without an ad-free subscription, you can only use the two social networks if you agree to the tracking necessary for the targeted display of advertising. With the option then introduced, Meta was clearly oriented towards the so-called pure subscription, which many German publishing houses now offer as a tracking-free model for using their offers (including Heise Medien).
However, Meta’s paid subscriptions came under criticism after its launch, which is why the American company announced a price cut in the spring. It remains to be seen whether this will quell the criticism. The move is accompanied by the introduction of another option for non-paying customers. In the future, they should be able to choose whether advertising displayed on the Services is based solely on data collected in the respective Facebook or Instagram session. In turn, ads will become less relevant, Meta warns. Additionally, advertisements must also be displayed in the feed, which cannot be skipped. Must be able to change the selection again.
It is unclear what financial consequences these moves will have for Meta, The Wall Street Journal writesAccording to the report, Meta has told EU officials that less personalized ads are likely to have a negative impact on its business. Meta makes about a quarter of its sales in Europe is confidentThat the steps taken go beyond legal requirements. It also firmly believes that personalized advertising is an essential part of the advertising-funded Internet, providing billions of people with free access to Internet services. We will continue to advocate for laws that support responsible use.
(mho)
