Accordingly, for about a year now, users of social networking platforms in Europe have had the option to pay to use non-advertising services. However, this has not dried up concerns about the security of the European Union (EU).
On November 12, "social media giant" Meta announced that Facebook and Instagram users who do not pay for monthly service subscriptions will have the option to see fewer targeted ads. But if users in Europe choose this option, they will still have to watch some unmissable ads that are a few seconds long.
If free users want to see fewer personalized ads, Meta will only display ads based on context and some basic data such as the user's age, location, gender, as well as how they interact with the ad.
Meta also indirectly criticized the EU in its announcement. Meta said that the company is implementing these important changes to meet the requirements of EU regulators, although the company's feedback received exceeded the requirements in the law.
According to Meta, studies show that users and businesses prefer to see targeted ads that support jobs and economic growth, as well as provide people with access to free online services.
In addition to the above issues, Meta also said it is preparing to reduce the price of services using non-advertising platforms by 40%.
The European Commission (EC) criticized Meta for being unfair to users for having to choose between a monthly ad-free version and a free version with personalized ads.
There are currently investigations into Meta and other tech giants under the EU Digital Markets Act - which is being issued to limit companies from exploiting their market position. Meta introduced a subscription service model for Facebook and Instagram platforms in Europe, partly due to this law.
