Facebook and Instagram launch ad-free subscription tier in EU
Facebook and Instagram are launching subscriptions in most of Europe that will remove adverts from the platforms. People using the Meta-owned platforms will be able to pay €9.99 (£8.72) per month for an ad-free experience. It will not be available in the UK. In January, Meta was fined €390m for breaking EU data rules around ads. The regulator said at the time the firm could not "force consent" by saying consumers must accept how their data is used or leave the platforms. The subscription tier will be exclusive to people in the EU, European Economic Area and Switzerland from November. But it will only be accessible for people aged over 18 at first, with the firm looking into how it can serve ads to young people in the EU without breaking the rules. Meta said its new subscription was about addressing EU concerns, rather than making money. "We believe in an ad-supported internet, which gives people access to personalised products and services regardless of their economic ...