A new, unofficial “Zuckerberg Tax” is arriving in the UK, as Meta prepares to charge users who wish to opt out of the advertising that fuels its empire. This new subscription fee for Facebook and Instagram is effectively a tax on users who want a cleaner, more private social media experience.
To avoid ads, UK users will have to pay a monthly tribute of £2.99 on the web or £3.99 on mobile. This payment grants them a pass from the personalised advertisements served up by Mark Zuckerberg’s data-crunching machines. Those who don’t pay the “tax” will continue to have their attention and data monetised in the usual way.
This system has been given the go-ahead by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The regulator sees this fee-based opt-out as a valid way for Meta to comply with UK laws that require user choice. It effectively sanctions the idea that freedom from ad targeting is a service worth paying for.
However, this “tax” has been deemed illegal in the European Union. The European Commission hit Meta with a €200m fine for attempting to levy such a fee, arguing it unfairly commercialises the fundamental right to privacy. The EU’s position is that users shouldn’t have to pay to protect their data.
For Britons, the choice is clear: pay the Zuckerberg tax for a premium, ad-free experience, or continue to be the product in the free version. This move transforms the user relationship into a more explicitly financial one, with privacy as the premium commodity.