Facebook's parent company, Meta, plans to remove the News tab in the UK, France, and Germany, prioritizing short-form video content instead. This follows previous actions to devalue news on the platform and emulate TikTok. Facebook News will only remain in the US and Australia after the changes take effect. Users will still see news article links on their feeds, and publishers can utilize Reels and the ads system to reach broader audiences. Meta will fulfill existing obligations with publishers until December, but no new deals or products will be offered in those countries. Meta is also considering ad-free paid subscriptions in Europe to address data collection and privacy concerns.
Twitter, now known as online platform X, may introduce a monthly fee for all users as part of an effort to combat bots and reduce the spread of misinformation.
Meta is considering offering subscription versions of Instagram and Facebook in Europe, costing around $10.50 on desktop and $14 on mobile, in order to comply with the EU's crackdown on personalized advertising.
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta is reportedly in talks with European Union data protection regulators to launch an ad-free subscription version of its services in the region, as it faces challenges to its tracking and profiling practices that allegedly breach EU privacy laws.
Major social media platforms such as Meta, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook are introducing premium tiers or ad-free subscription plans, signaling a new era where users are expected to pay for access to memes and tweets. This shift in the business model creates perverse incentives and resembles the anti-consumer approach seen in the airline industry.
