Meta offers to slash fees for ads-free Facebook and Instagram to avert EU privacy concerns

Meta made the reduced offer to regulators earlier this year and is now in talks with data protection authorities, specifically the Data Protection Commission here, as Meta has its major European head office based in Ireland. Picture: Jeff Chiu/AP

Meta Platforms has offered to almost halve its monthly subscription fee for Facebook and Instagram to €5.99 from €9.99, a senior Meta executive has said, a move that aims to address concerns from privacy and competition regulators.

The price cut follows mounting criticism from privacy activists and consumer groups about Meta's no-ads subscription service in Europe, which critics say requires users to pay a fee to ensure their privacy. Meta launched the service in November to comply with the Digital Markets Act, or DMA, which curbs its ability to personalise advertisements for users without their consent, hurting its major revenue source.