Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will soon be able to access ad-free versions of the platforms for up to £3.99 a month (about N8,000).

Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, is introducing the subscription service in response to regulatory concerns about personalised advertising, where users’ data is processed to deliver targeted ads.

New subscription fee

Meta said its own model would see its subscription for no ads cost £2.99 (N6,000) a month on the web or £3.99 (N8,000) a month on iOS and Android apps - with the higher fee to offset cuts taken from transactions by Apple and Google.

EU users has a starting fee of €5.99 or £5 (10,000) a month to see no ads.

Linked accounts will be covered by a single monthly fee, GuardianUK reports.

Why subscription for Facebook, Instagram

Meta said the subscription gives people the choice to keep using the platforms for free with personalised ads, or to pay to remove them.

The rollout will begin in the coming weeks, while non-subscribers will continue to see ads.

Earlier this year, the Commission fined Meta €200 million, arguing that the company should have provided a free version of its platforms that relied on less detailed personal data – such as age, gender, and location for ad targeting.

Similarly, a British woman sued Meta using her data after she filed a lawsuit against it, BBC reports.

Meta reached a settlement with UK campaigner Tanya O’Carroll, who claimed the company violated data protection rules by refusing her request to stop collecting information for personalised ads.

Tanya O'Carroll argued Facebook's targeted advertising system was covered by the UK's definition of direct marketing, giving individuals the right to object.

The UK’s data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), has backed Meta’s new subscription model.

The agency said the move marks a shift away from making targeted advertising a default condition for using Facebook and Instagram, something it has previously argued is inconsistent with UK law.

The ICO has long maintained that users should be able to opt out of having their personal data used for targeted advertising.

After the case, Meta said it was considering an ad-free subscription.

X subscription package

Legit.ng reported that X, formerly known as Twitter and owned by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has increased its monthly subscription fees for Premium+ tier subscribers globally.

Nigeria was not left out, as the company raised its Premium+ tier monthly subscription fee from N22,550 to N34,000.

In the United States, the monthly rate for Premium+ has increased to $22, up from $16, while the annual subscription now costs $229, rising from $168.