Published on: November 10, 2023
Meta, the parent company of services like Facebook and Instagram, has introduced a new subscription model in Europe — it wants to test how consumers react to their new “Pay or OK” business model.
Having a subscription would prevent Facebook from collecting your data for ad purposes. Critics claim that this practice raises a serious ethical question by forcing a consumer to decide whether they would rather pay another subscription or continue having their data given to advertisers.
Skeptics suggest it could slowly cause other mainstream companies to adopt similar practices, turning data privacy from a basic right into a payment-gated privilege.
In Europe, Meta can process data for advertisers because when it comes to data consent, the GDPR doesn’t differentiate between media houses and tech companies. This loophole allows Meta to process and use data in the same way that other major tech companies can.
However, Meta was found to be improperly managing data from 2018-2023. Its illegal data-sharing practices made it one of the most profitable companies in the world.
Meta proposed the “Pay or OK” model to protect company profits while complying with the new GDPR laws about giving users an option to keep their data private. While this certainly raises concern for Meta’s outspoken skeptics, as long as it’s found to comply with GDPR laws and drives profit, we can expect to see this rolled out internationally.
The subscription also varies based on your device. Desktop users can get a subscription for 9.99 euros per month. However, Android and iOS users are looking at a 12.99 euro per month subscription cost to account for the fees associated with mobile stores.
The subscription also takes advantage of negative opinion marketing. At first one subscription will cover every profile associated with your Meta account. However, after February the price will skyrocket to costing up to 8 euros per month per account.
“The option for people to purchase a subscription for no ads balances the requirements of European regulators while giving users choice,” says Facebook.
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