In Europe, Instagram Ads Are About to Get Less Personal.

During the autumn of 2023, the giant company Meta introduced a substantial change within its platforms: if users wanted to continue using Meta's products without customised advertisements, then they would have to start paying a monthly subscription fee of EUR 13. Those against had to agree to Meta's highly targeted advertisements or remove themselves from the company's platforms.

The company's proposal stemmed from an attempt to navigate between the EU's new digital competition law and the decisions of privacy regulators on the continent, which require users' explicit consent before reusing information about their behaviour to target advertisements.

However, in July 2024, Meta was accused of violating the aforementioned law with the introduction of the ‘pay or consent’ formula - in response, the company is proposing a new option with less personalised ads, as well as a price reduction for the subscription.