Meta announces paid subscriptions for both Instagram and Facebook in the UK

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced the introduction of paid subscriptions for users in the UK. Starting in the coming weeks, individuals over the age of 18 will have the option to pay £3 ($4) per month on the web or £4 ($5) per month on iOS and Android apps to remove ads from their Facebook and Instagram accounts. Additionally, any other accounts linked to a user's Meta Accounts Center will also receive the ad-free subscription for an extra £2 ($3) per month on the web or £3 ($4) per month on mobile. Users who decline the subscription will continue to see ads on the free versions of the platforms. Meta states that this change is a response to new regulatory "consent or pay" guidance from the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which gives users the choice to either consent to data personalization for ad targeting or pay to avoid it. The company has previously faced fines in the EU for issues related to its compliance with privacy regulations.