Pay for Facebook and Instagram? That may seem unthinkable to many users of the free apps, but parent company Meta announced Friday that people in the UK can choose to pay for a subscription if they don't want to see targeted ads.
It's an option that users of those apps in the US can only admire from afar if they're tired seeing ads in their social feeds.
The UK Information Commissioner's Office published guidance about ad-free subscriptions earlier this year, and on Friday, said it welcomed the change.
"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," the statement said. "Under Meta's chosen approach, people will be able to choose between consenting to personalized ads or paying a monthly subscription for an ad-free service – known as a 'consent or pay' model."
A representative for Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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A no-ad subscription for a user's first Meta account, if only used on the web, will cost £3/month (roughly $4) on the web and £4/month ($5.35) for use on iOS and Android. Meta says in its statement that the iOS and Android subscriptions cost more because of fees charged by Apple and Google.
If someone has a second account they'd like to go ad-free, the fee for that account is slightly reduced to £2/month ($2.68 USD) on the web or £3/month ($4.02) on iOS and Android.
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The information commissioner's office said it will monitor Meta's rollout of its changes "to ensure consumers are empowered to make choices and are able to give their consent freely."
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