Facebook and Instagram users in Europe will get the option to see less personalized ads if they don't want to pay for an ad-free subscription , social media company Meta said Tuesday, bowing to pressure from Brussels over digital competition concerns.
Meta Platforms has been offering users in the European Union an ad-free subscription option for about a year to comply with the continent's strict data privacy rules, but regulators had accused the company of giving people a false choice.
The company said in a blog post that while people will still be able to choose between the subscription and free versions, it would also start giving users a third option over the coming weeks to see digital ads that are less personalized.
This means ads will be targeted at users based only on what they see during their current session on Facebook or Instagram going back no more than two hours, plus minimal personal information such as age, location, gender as well as how they engage with ads.
Data from all of a user's previous time spent on Facebook and Instagram, which is typically combined to precisely target an individual with tailored ads, won't be used.
