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FILE - European Commissioner for Europe fit for the Digital Age, Margrethe Vestager speaks during a media conference regarding the Digital Markets Act at EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 25, 2024. European Union regulators accused social media company Meta Platforms on Monday, July 1, 2024 of breaching the bloc's new digital competition rulebook by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

European Union accuses Facebook owner Meta of breaking digital rules with paid ad-free option

European Union regulators have accused social media company Meta Platforms of breaching the bloc’s new digital competition rulebook by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them

By Kelvin Chan
Published - Jul 01, 2024, 06:04 AM ET
Last Updated - Jul 01, 2024, 06:04 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators accused social media company Meta Platforms on Monday of breaching the bloc's new digital competition rulebook by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them.

Meta has been giving European users the option since November of paying for ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram as a way to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules.

Desktop browser users can pay about 10 euros ($10.50) a month while iOS or Android users will pay roughly 13 euros to avoid being targeted by ads based on their personal data.

The U.S. tech giant rolled out the subscription option after the European Union’s top court ruled that under strict EU data privacy rules, Meta must first get consent before showing ads to users.

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