This opportunity arose after the EU began to tighten control over how social networks process user data, Ukrinform reported with reference to Bloomberg.

Starting in November, users can subscribe to the social network for 9.99 euros ($10.57) per month for the web version or 12.99 euros per month for iOS and Android devices, the company said in a statement. Subscription services will be available to residents of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

“We will continue to defend ad-supported Internet despite our new subscription offering in the EU, EEA and Switzerland. But we respect the spirit and intent of these new European rules and are committed to complying with them,” the company said. .

Meta will continue to provide advertising services in these markets at no additional cost. Initially the subscription fee will cover all user accounts, but from March Meta will charge an additional fee of €6 per month for the web version and €8 for iOS and Android.

Meta also decided not to launch Threads in the EU due to questions about how big tech companies can comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which bans data sharing between services.

The launch of the subscription is a response to increasing regulations regarding the collection and use of user data in Europe. In a blog post announcing the decision, Meta referenced a ruling by the EU Court of Justice against the company in July. At the time, the court ruled that companies should consider offering alternative services to customers who do not want their data collected and sold to advertisers “for a fee, if necessary.”

As Ukrinform reports, many users from EU countries began to complain about the impossibility of accessing the Threads text service, especially through VPN. Meta, which owns the new social network, said it blocked access to the application in the EU.

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