It’s official: there will be the possibility of paid social accounts in Europe. Meta’s announcement comes on the heels of further European tightening to ensure user data protection.
But what will change for users and how much will it cost? Let’s find out what new features will go into effect soon.
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Paid social, how it works
Meta’s decision to include a paid subscription for Facebook and Instagram users came after the European Union expressed its willingness to protect its citizens’ data.
The subscription, contrary to what you might think, is not mandatory to stay on social. But there is an option to subscribe if you want to have Facebook and Instagram without ads.
Those who are not interested will continue to see personalized advertisements between posts. The note circulated by Meta speaks clearly:
“We firmly believe in an ad-supported free internet and will continue to offer free access to our products and services regardless of different budgets. We are committed to keeping people’s information private and secure in accordance with our regulations and the EU Data Protection Regulation.“
The choice of subscription was the necessary solution after the European Union’s decisions involving new regulations on the processing of personal data. Meta explained its choice:
“We made this change to address a number of evolving and emerging regulatory requirements in the region. This includes how our main data protection regulator in the EU, the Irish Data Protection Commission, interprets the GDPR following a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union and anticipating the entry into force of the Digital Markets Act.”
How much does a subscription cost for Facebook and Instagram
If you decide not to surrender your data to Meta and no longer see advertisements, the subscription is 12.99 euros per month if you decide to subscribe to the subscription through the app. While if you do it through the web the cost is 9.99 euros per month.
The cost difference is explained by Meta itself, pointing out that the iOS and Android prices take into account the rates that Apple and Google charge through their respective purchasing policies.
In any case, until March 1, 2024, the subscription will be valid for all Instagram and Facebook accounts connected to the user’s account management center. This means that if you have more than one account on a social you will only pay for one subscription.
After March 1, 2024, the situation will change, and for each account entered in the user’s account management center an additional charge of 6 euros per month will be applied for subscriptions taken out via the web, while it will be 8 euros for those made via iOS and Android.
Read also: Facebook, no more personal information on the profile, here is why
