Meta announced changes to its targeted advertising policy this week after European Union regulators said the company wasn’t doing enough to restrict the amount of information sold to ad agencies.
In the announcement Tuesday, Meta said it would reduce its subscription prices for Instagram and Facebook and would offer EU residents the choice to use both platforms for free without targeted advertising.
Under the new rules, users who opt to use the free versions of Meta’s platforms will be shown fewer personalized ads. Meta says personalized ads help consumers and businesses find the products and customers they’re looking for.
“Although we are being put in a position where we have to offer an ads experience that delivers less value for people and businesses, we will also continue to deliver great personalized experiences that are the best outcome for people and businesses in Europe,” Meta wrote in a statement.
Meta’s no advertising tiered subscription will be reduced by 40%, from $10.60 to $6.40 a month on web and from $13.80 to $8.49 a month on mobile devices.
Meta’s policy change comes after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in October that Meta can’t freely use customer data and must add more guardrails.
“An online social network such as Facebook cannot use all of the personal data obtained for the purposes of targeted advertising, without restriction as to time and without distinction as to type of data,” the court wrote in its decision.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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