Meta Platforms Announces Plans For Non-Advertising Subscriptions For Users In Europe

JAKARTA - Meta Platforms announced on Monday, October 30 that it will offer users in Europe subscription packages to use Facebook and Instagram without ads. This is to comply with EU regulations.

Plans for monthly subscriptions for users in the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland, will cost 9.99 euros (IDR 168 thousand) for web users. While iOS and Android users have to pay 12.99 euros (IDR 218 thousand) per month.

European Union regulations threaten to limit Meta's ability to personalize ads for users without their consent and harm its main sources of revenue.

The world's most popular social media network has come under pressure from antitrust in the European Union. In July, they lost a legal battle against a data restriction order in Germany when Europe's highest court supported Germany's antitrust supervisory power to investigate privacy violations.

Offering a choice between free plans with ad support and ad-free subscriptions may make users choose the first one, which helps Meta to comply with regulations without affecting its advertising business.

Meta was previously fined 390 million euros (IDR 6.5 trillion) earlier this year by Irish Data Privacy Commissioner, and was told it could not use a "contract" as legal basis for sending ad users based on their online activities.

The company later said it intended to seek user approval in the European Union before allowing businesses to target advertising to address growing regulatory requirements in the region.