Meta to offer ad-free subscription for Facebook, Instagram

Meta Platforms intends to provide users of Instagram and Facebook with the choice to receive “less personalized ads,” the tech firm revealed this week, as part of its strategy to address the growing worries of regulators.

The company, based in Menlo Park, California, stated that it is taking these steps to meet the requests made by EU regulators.

Meta announced it will drastically lower the cost of its Subscription option to eliminate ads, and provide individuals in the EU with an alternative choice to access Facebook and Instagram for free, featuring less targeted advertisements.

“With the less personalized option, we will utilize significantly fewer data points for ad targeting, which may result in ads being less aligned with an individual’s interests. We are making these substantial changes in response to requests from EU regulators, even though these adjustments exceed what is mandated by law.”

Research indicates that users and businesses favor personalized advertisements, which foster job creation and economic growth, while granting access to free online services, as stated by Meta in a blog entry.

“We strongly believe that personalized advertising is an essential part of the ad-supported internet that has provided free online services to hundreds of millions of EU residents and billions of individuals worldwide. We will persist in advocating for regulations that promote the responsible use of personalized advertising, enabling us to uphold the high-quality, free services that people have come to expect from us,” Meta concluded.