Facebook, Instagram to offer paid ad-free UK subscriptions
Meta has announced that Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will be able to buy ad-free subscriptions, extending a model already in place in Europe, to comply with regulation.
Starting in the coming weeks, UK-based users can opt out of personalised ads by paying a monthly fee of £2.99 ($4) on the web, or £3.99 via iOS and Android apps.
The US tech giant said the move comes "in response to recent UK regulatory guidance," noting that the subscription model gives users a choice over whether to allow personalised ads.
The company has long profited from selling user data to advertisers but this business model has led to multiple battles with regulators over data privacy.
The European data regulator last year told Meta it must not force users to pay for the right to data protection, pushing the company to tweak its model.
Meta on Friday criticized the "overreach" of regulators in the EU, where it must provide a version of its platforms with "less personalised" ads.
It meanwhile welcomed the "constructive approach" of the British privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office.
The ICO said the subscription option would allow Meta to comply with UK law.
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