Facebook and Instagram are to offer UK users the option of subscribing to avoid seeing adverts in a move welcomed by data watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Parent company Meta said that over the coming weeks, it will give people in the UK the choice of subscribing for £2.99/month on the web or £3.99/month on iOS and Android for the first account.
“The experience for those who choose to use our services for free will not change. They will continue to see ads on our platforms and will still be able to control their ads experience,” it added.
“It is more expensive to subscribe on iOS and Android because of the fees that Apple and Google charge through their respective purchasing policies.
“Regardless of where you purchase, a decision to subscribe to see no ads will apply to all Facebook and Instagram accounts that a person has decided to add to Meta Accounts Center.”
A reduced, additional fee of £2/month on the web or £3/month on iOS and Android will automatically apply for each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center.
The move is a response to recent UK regulatory guidance and following extensive engagement with the ICO.
It claims to give people in the UK a clear choice about whether their data is used for personalised advertising, while ‘preserving the free access and value that the ads-supported internet creates for people, businesses and platforms’.
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A spokesperson for the Information Commissioner’s Office said: “Following the ICO’s engagement with Meta about how it uses personal information for its advertising model, we welcome Meta’s decision to ask users for consent to use their personal information to target them with ads.
“This moves Meta away from targeting users with ads as part of the standard terms and conditions for using its Facebook and Instagram services, which we’ve been clear is not in line with UK law.
“People must be given meaningful transparency and choice about how their information is used. At the same time, the ICO recognises that online platforms, like every business, need to operate commercially.
“During the course of our engagement with Meta, it significantly lowered the starting price point at which users would be offered a subscription. As a result, users in the UK will be able to subscribe at a price point close to half that of EU users.
“In updating its services in this way, Meta has taken steps to address its non-compliance.”
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