Meta is constructing a new, premium enclosure within its “walled garden” ecosystems of Facebook and Instagram. For UK users, access to this exclusive, ad-free space will require a monthly entry fee, marking a significant evolution of the company’s business model in response to intense regulatory scrutiny over data privacy.
The fee to enter this quieter section of the social media world is set at £2.99 per month for web users and £3.99 per month for those on mobile devices. This single payment grants a user access to ad-free versions of both platforms if their accounts are linked. Those who remain outside this new wall will continue to experience the standard, ad-supported service.
This new architecture has been approved by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The data regulator views the creation of a paid tier as a legitimate way to offer the legally required “opt-out” from personalised advertising. It resolves the ICO’s complaint that the previous “one-size-fits-all” garden was not compliant with UK law.
However, this model has been condemned in the European Union, where regulators have taken a sledgehammer to the concept. The European Commission fined Meta €200m, stating that a fundamental right like privacy cannot be placed behind a paywall. The EU demands that the main garden be made safer for everyone, not that a safer, paid section be built alongside it.
The UK’s endorsement of Meta’s new wall highlights its diverging regulatory path. The “pro-business” approach allows for the creation of premium, paid solutions to privacy issues, a model that the more rights-focused EU has firmly rejected.