On October 30, Meta announced it would begin offering people in the EU, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland a choice between paying a subscription fee to opt out of any personalized advertising or consenting to ad targeting to continue accessing Facebook and Instagram for free. The major question Meta faces now is deciding whether its subscription prices are reasonable or, as BEUC has alleged, “Very high.” BEUC argued that because many users will likely consent to unwanted data collection just to avoid a high fee, Meta is only allegedly giving the illusion of choice while pushing consumers “Into making a choice they might not want to take.” BEUC also argued that Meta allegedly deceives users into thinking that opting in to a paid subscription means there will be “Less tracking and profiling.” Instead, it appears to the consumer group that “Users are likely to continue to have their personal data collected and used, but for purposes other than ads,” because Meta has so far only promised “While people are subscribed, their information will not be used for ads.”

Source: Meta’s “overpriced” ad-free subscriptions make privacy a “luxury good”: EU suit

It’s hard to compare pricing for such a new market segment.

That said, no one is required to use Meta’s products. Stopping is an option.