Mark Zuckerberg-owned Meta may soon charge users in the European Union (EU) a $14 monthly subscription fee to use Instagram on their phones, unless they allow the social media platform to use their personal data for targeted advertising, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Tuesday.
Meta will charge users $17 for desktop versions of Facebook and Instagram from next week, the report added.
The social media company was fined 390 million euros by Ireland’s data privacy commissioner earlier this year and told it could not use the so-called “contractual” legal basis to send ads to users based on their online activity.
Meta said it intends to ask EU users for their consent before allowing businesses to target ads to address a number of growing regulatory requirements in the region.
Companies are under strict restrictions for using personal data. In May, Facebook was fined 1.2 billion euros for violating privacy laws that require appropriate safeguards for transferring data from the EU to the USA.
Interestingly, a subscription option for Meta’s services is a major change for the company. Zuckerberg has repeatedly insisted that his core services should remain free and supported by advertising so that they are available to people of all income levels.
