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Meta is clearly not enthused about the new European Union (EU) rules which requires social media giants to stop pushing ads for users. The company has worked out a strategy that could go either way. Meta says that users in the region might have to pay $14 for using Facebook and Instagram without ads, or else the free versions of the apps will show ads for millions of EU users.

As per reports, Meta will charge around $10.46 per month for a Facebook or Instagram account on the desktop, while the price goes up to EUR 13 ($14) if they sign up through Google or Apple App Store. In addition to this, each linked account will be charged EUR 6 which makes it a completely ad-free experience on these apps.

Meta has not officially confirmed these new ad-free versions but going by its situation in the EU where it was heavily fined for pushing ads based on user’s online activity, the paid version seems imminent.

The company has mentioned that it would prefer to take consent from users before pushing ads on their apps and only allow businesses to reach out to them with targeted advertising. Free versions are becoming a concern for authorities and lawmakers as the biggest caveat for these apps is the proliferation of ads based on what the user browses on the internet.

Meta has even faced government scrutiny over these allegations, where even Mark Zuckerberg was grilled in front of the Congressional committee to stop these wrongdoings. But the situation in the EU is quite different where the users enjoy better privacy norms and companies are forced to comply or else face heavy penalties worth millions. Meta has also introduced a paid subscription called Verified which as the name suggests gets your Instagram or Facebook account verified for a fee.

The company did not mention anything related to these versions being ad-free but eventually more regions might get this option, as Elon Musk leads in this direction with his evolving X platform.