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Meta is once again ready to charge a fee from Instagram and Facebook users or push them ads to use the free version.
Meta wants people to pay or watch ads to help it make money in the EU region.
Meta is once again going after users in the European Union countries as it looks to battle the stringent tech rules in the region. Meta plans to charge a monthly fee of $14 (Rs 1,190 approx) so that they don’t see ads on Facebook or Instagram. They will also have the option to use these social platforms for free but then you can’t get rid of the ads.Â
As per reports this week, Meta will also offer a combo offer (Instagram and Facebook ad-free) at $17 per month (Rs 1,445 approx) but to access on the desktop.Â
No Free Lunches, PeopleÂ
The change in strategy is primarily targeting the EU region, where regulators have ordered tech companies to stop pushing ads based on their online history and activity. Free versions have clearly highlighted their caveat in the form of digital ads that has helped companies like Meta and Google (of Alphabet) earn billions over the last decade.Â
The company has mentioned that it would prefer to take consent from users before pushing ads on their apps and only allow businesses to reach out to them with targeted advertising.Â
Even the US government has enquired Meta about these practices but the situation and rules are stricter in EU where the users enjoy better privacy norms and companies are forced to comply or else face heavy penalties worth millions.Â
Making users pay for Instagram would immediately offset the lack of ads for the company and help it earn revenue through channels. This isn’t the first time we are hearing about a paid model for these platforms.
In fact these proposals were first made back in 2023, and now EU regulators have to decide on the company’s appeal to have the SNA (subscription no ads) model. It remains to be seen if the EU users are happy to pay just to use these platforms or look for other apps with similar features.