Meta lowers prices in Europe to end investigation into 'personal data'

Meta lawyer Timothy Lamb announced at a European Commission workshop that Meta will lower the price of its ad-free subscription model in order to end the European Union's (EU) investigation into how Meta uses users' personal data.

Noting that Meta has offered to reduce the monthly ad-free subscription fee for Facebook and Instagram from 9.99 euros to 5.99 euros for a single account, Lamb stated that a fee of 4 euros will be charged for each additional account.

"BY FAR THE LOWER END"

Lamb said, "This is by far the lower end of the range that a reasonable person should pay for services of this quality. And I think this is a serious offer. There is currently regulatory uncertainty and this needs to be resolved quickly."

While Meta faces an investigation by European regulators regarding its ad-free subscription model and the use of data, Lamb noted that Meta's offer was made to speed up the process and appease regulators.

"NO ADDITIONAL FEES TO PAY"

The fee in question does not include any additional charges that users would pay if they download the app from app stores such as Apple or Google.

WHAT HAPPENED?

In November 2023, the Brussels-based European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), an umbrella organization for 45 consumer associations from various European countries, filed an official complaint with 19 of its members against Meta's unfair payment or consent model.

Meta had launched the subscriptions to mitigate the threat of lost advertising revenue in response to stricter regulations in the EU.