Users of Facebook and Instagram in the United Kingdom will soon be required to pay a monthly subscription fee.This will allow them to enjoy the platform without advertisements.
As reported by the BBC, Meta, the parent company of both Facebook and Instagram, announced that it will start informing users about this change in the upcoming weeks. The report indicates that users in the EU will need to pay a fee starting at €5.99 (£5) per month to browse without ads.
Conversely, the proposed monthly subscriptions for users in the UK will start from £2.99. “This will provide users in the UK with a clear option regarding whether their data is utilized for personalized advertisements, while maintaining the free access and value offered by the ad-supported internet for individuals, businesses, and platforms,” stated Meta.
Nonetheless, it has been revealed that UK users may not have the choice to avoid payment and will see “less personalized” ads instead. Meta had introduced this feature for EU users in response to regulatory concerns. It’s worth noting that earlier this year, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data regulatory authority, issued guidance for companies about ad-free subscription models.