A legal challenge by a single UK human rights campaigner has had a domino effect, leading directly to Meta’s decision to offer an ad-free subscription service for Facebook and Instagram across the country. The lawsuit, brought by Tanya O’Carroll, has forced a fundamental shift in how the social media giant approaches user consent and data privacy in the UK.
O’Carroll alleged that Meta breached UK data laws by failing to respect her right to demand the company stop collecting her data for personalised ads. Meta ultimately settled the case, agreeing to stop targeting her. Following this settlement, the company began exploring the subscription model as a scalable way to offer the “opt-out” right that O’Carroll had successfully fought for.
The result is a new service set to launch soon, where users can pay to remove ads. The cost will be £3.99 monthly on mobile and £2.99 on the web, with one fee covering linked accounts. This system directly answers the legal and regulatory pressure sparked by O’Carroll’s case, creating a formal mechanism for users to withdraw from the ad-targeting ecosystem.
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which had supported the principle of an opt-out, has welcomed Meta’s new model. The regulator sees it as a move towards compliance with UK law, as it provides a clear choice that was previously absent from the platforms’ terms and conditions.
This UK-specific outcome, born from a citizen’s legal action, has not been replicated in the EU. There, a similar subscription service has been deemed illegal under the Digital Markets Act, leading to a €200m fine for Meta. The EU argues for a less data-intensive free version, not a paid privacy tier, highlighting how a UK legal precedent has led to a solution that remains contentious on the continent.