Meta has announced a proposal to slash the prices of its ad-free subscriptions for Facebook and Instagram in response to concerns raised by European regulators. During a hearing before the European Commission, Meta reported that it is willing to reduce the monthly fee from 10 euros to 6 euros. According to Meta lawyer Tim Lamb, the company has made this offer in an effort to address regulatory issues as reported by Reuters news agency.
Additionally, any extra accounts would incur a charge of four euros per month. Meta initially presented this reduced pricing proposal to European regulators earlier in the year and is currently engaged in discussions with data protection authorities, particularly in Ireland where Meta's European headquarters are situated.
The ad-free subscriptions for Meta and Instagram were originally launched exclusively in the European Union in November to comply with various European laws, including the GDPR and the Digital Markets Act. However, these subscriptions have faced criticism from consumer advocacy groups and others who argue that users are being forced to either pay for privacy or accept personalized advertisements.
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