Facebook, Instagram to offer ad-free Europe subscriptions

BRUSSELS, Oct 30 (AFP): Meta announced on Monday that Facebook and Instagram users in Europe will be able to buy subscriptions to use the social networks without any advertising from next month.
"To comply with evolving European regulations, we are introducing a new subscription option in the EU, EEA (European Economic Area) and Switzerland," it said in a statement.
The company has taken the decision after a series of tougher European Union rules intended to rein in big tech, including the General Data Protection Regulations.
The EU's rules are a risk to Meta's lucrative revenue from advertising since they seek to curb its use of users' data without consent.
Meta said European users can subscribe for a fee of 9.99 euros ($10.50) a month on the web, or 12.99 euros on mobile phones using iOS and Android systems.