Over the coming weeks, in response to recent UK regulatory guidance and following extensive engagement with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Meta will introduce Subscription for no Facebook and Instagram ads in the UK.
This will give people based in the UK the choice between continuing to use Facebook and Instagram for free with personalised ads, or subscribing to stop seeing ads.
We’re making this change in response to recent regulatory guidance from the ICO. It will give people in the UK a clear choice about whether their data is used for personalised advertising, while preserving the free access and value that the ads-supported internet creates for people, businesses and platforms. Subscriptions, as an alternative to seeing personalised advertising, is a well-established and economically viable business model spanning many industries, from news publishing and gaming to music and entertainment. Having discussed with the ICO, Meta will offer Subscription for no ads at a price that is one of the lowest in the market.
We welcome the constructive approach the ICO has taken in our ongoing engagement. This approach and outcome sets the UK apart from the EU, where we have been engaged in similar discussions with regulators. EU regulators continue to overreach by requiring us to provide a less personalised ads experience that goes beyond what the law requires, creating a worse experience for users and businesses. In contrast, the UK’s more pro-growth and pro-innovation regulatory environment allows for a clearer choice for users, while ensuring our personalised advertising tools can continue to be engines of growth and productivity for companies up and down the country. In 2024 alone, Meta’s advertising technologies were linked to £65 billion in economic activity and over 357,000 jobs in the UK.
– Meta
The subscription for no Facebook and Instagram ads will be set at £2.99/month on the web or £3.99/month on iOS and Android. We recommend you sign up on the web as if you pay, you’ll see no ads on the web or app.
The reason for the price difference is that if you sign up in app, Meta will have to pay a fee to Apple or Google. Sign up on the web or you’ll be paying an extra £1 a month for nothing!
And what if you have multiple accounts? Well so long as you add them to Meta Accounts Center, and regardless of where you purchase, a decision to subscribe to see no Facebook and Instagram ads on all your accounts. However, a reduced, additional fee of £2/month on the web or £3/month on iOS and Android will automatically apply for each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center.
If (I suspect like most) you decide not to subscribe and use Facebook and Instagram for free, you will continue to see Facebook and Instagram ads and will still be able to use all of the tools and settings to control your ads experience. These include Ad Preferences, which offers a range of controls that enable people to influence the ads they see, as well as the data used to inform these ads, such as Activity Information from Ad Partners. Meta also have tools in our products that explain “Why am I seeing this ad?” and how people can manage their ad experience.
Finally, Meta confirm that they do not sell personal data to advertisers.
Personalised ads help people discover relevant, new products and services while allowing British businesses to reach the customers most likely to be interested in what they offer. Studies show that personalised ads boost revenue for the companies that show ads on our platforms. Every pound spent on our ads drives on average £3.82 in revenues for those UK businesses choosing to advertise. UK advertisers will be able to continue running personalised advertising campaigns in the UK to reach those who choose to continue to receive a free, ad-supported online service.
– Meta
