Facebook and Instagram users in Europe can pay for ad-free versions

Charges of 12.99 a month smartphone users for and 9.99 for desktop introduced to comply with EU data privacy rules

Facebook and Instagram users in the European Union will be charged up to 12.99 a month for ad-free versions of the social networks as a way to comply with the bloc's data privacy rules, parent company Meta said on Monday.

Starting in November, users on desktop browsers can pay 9.99 ($10.50) a month, while Apple iOS or Android users will pay roughly 12.99. The higher prices reflect commissions charged by the Apple and Google app stores on in-app payments, the company said in a blogpost.