In an attempt to end Meta’s dispute with the EU over alleged privacy violations on its advertising services, the US company is considering introducing a paid service to remove ads on Facebook and Instagram.
Soon the end of ads on Facebook and Instagram in Europe? As you may know, Meta is in conflict with several European regulators. The firm is accused of several alleged violations of user privacy, particularly in the context of its advertising tracking services and the transfer of personal data.
Remember, in 2020, the European Union announced the end of the Privacy Shield, an agreement which notably allowed American companies to collect and transfer the data of European users to the country of Uncle Sam. Of course, the new was not really liked by Facebook, whose the bulk of revenue is based on advertising and the processing of user data.
The American company decided to do not comply with the new regulations and in May 2023, the sanction finally fell. The Irish regulator imposed a record fine on Meta of 1.2 billion euros. To avoid paying this substantial amount, Meta had 5 months to end any transfer of data to the USA, then an additional 6 months to cancel any illegal use or storage of this information.
A paid subscription to remove ads on Facebook and Instagram?
However, and according to our colleagues from the New York Times, Meta has a plan to ease tensions with European regulators. Indeed, the Menlo Park firm would like launch a service that would allow users to pay not to have ads on Facebook and Instagram. For now, no information on the price or release date of this feature has filtered, and Meta has declined to comment on the subject.
Remember that Meta has chosen not to launch its new Threads social network in Europe precisely to avoid a new conflict with the European Union. And if it was however possible to access the service thanks to a very simple manipulation, Meta tightened the screw in July 2023 to prevent European users from launching Threads.
Source: New York Times