Meta's Instagram, Facebook to charge EU users for ad-free service: source
Meta Platforms is looking to introduce ad-free subscription plans for Instagram and Facebook users in Europe, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
Several pricing plans were discussed, but the 10-euro-per-month plan is the most feasible, one of them said, while the other source said it will be implemented in the coming months.
The proposal is an attempt by Meta to comply with European Union regulations that threaten to curb its ability to personalize ads for users without their consent and hurt its major revenue source.
Offering a choice between a free, ad-supported plan and a paid subscription might lead to users opting for the former, helping Meta comply with regulations without affecting its ad business.
Meanwhile, Netflix's streaming subscription, which charges 7.99 euros for a basic plan, while Alphabet's YouTube Premium costs about 12 euros and Spotify's Premium service is priced at about 11 euros.
On mobile devices, the price for a single account would jump to roughly 13 euros because Meta would factor in commissions charged by Apple's and Google's app stores, the second source said.
The social media company was fined 390 million euros earlier this year by Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner and told it cannot use the so-called "contract" legal basis to send users ads based on their online activity.
Meta subsequently said it intended to ask users in the EU for their consent before allowing businesses to target ads in order to address evolving regulatory requirements in the region.
A Meta spokesperson said the company believes in "free services which are supported by personalized ads," but is exploring "options to ensure we comply with evolving regulatory requirements."
Meta, Ireland's Data Protection Commission declined to comment while the European Commission did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm, Akash Sriram and Jyoti Narayan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Arun Koyyur)
YOUR FINANCES
Canadians increasingly turning to charities to meet essential needs, but cost of living also hitting donations
Every Giving Tuesday, many Canadians generously dig into their wallets to donate to charities, but as the cost of living climbs, research suggests many Canadians are also in need of help.
What is the grocery code of conduct, and will it help to lower the cost of food?
Canada's grocery code of conduct is in the final stages with advocates saying it would help lower food prices while big grocers say it won't.
Poor Inuit housing 'direct result of colonialism': federal housing advocate
A federal housing advocate is accusing every level of government in Canada of failing to uphold the Inuit's right to housing -- and therefore denying their human rights.
Having financial problems? Don't get caught in debt relief scams
With inflation, rising interest rates, and higher costs for gas, groceries and housing, many Canadians are feeling the financial pinch and now personal bankruptcies are on the rise.
Do you tip at a restaurant like Chipotle? Here’s what a survey found
But the majority of Americans say they tip 15 per cent or less for a typical meal at a sit-down restaurant, according to a wide-ranging new poll on tipping attitudes from Pew Research Center. The poll surveyed nearly 12,000 people.
Loblaw raises the affordability alarm as grocery code of conduct nears completion
As the grocery code of conduct nears completion, the Canadian industry's biggest player is raising concerns the guidelines could add fuel to the food inflation fire.
Here's how much it costs to raise children in Canada, according to new statistics
A new report from Statistics Canada estimates how much parents will spend on children over the course of their lifetime.
More Canadian households struggling to put food on the table due to high cost of living: report
As the cost-of-living crisis persists, two-parent households are increasingly turning to food banks across Canada to feed their families, according to a new report.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Henry Kissinger, secretary of state under Presidents Nixon and Ford, dies at 100
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the diplomat with the thick glasses and gravelly voice who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China, died Wednesday, his consulting firm said. He was 100.
Ontario doctors disciplined over Israel-Gaza protests
A number of doctors are facing scrutiny for publicizing their opinions on the Israel-Hamas war. Critics say expressing their political views could impact patient care, while others say that it is being used as an excuse for censorship.
Here is what Canada's drug shortage situation looks like right now
Compared to the peak pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, Canada experienced an uptick in prescription drug shortages in 2022 that Health Canada says has continued throughout 2023.
Annual Lego exhibit in Halifax inspires new generation of builders
Owen Grace has spent the last 20 years sharing his childhood hobby, Lego, through an exhibit he calls, 'Bricks by the Sea.'
'No concessions' St-Onge says in $100M a year news deal with Google
The Canadian government has reached a deal with Google over the Online News Act that will see the tech giant pay $100 million annually to publishers, and continue to allow access to Canadian news content on its platform. This comes after Google had threatened to block news on its platform when the contentious new rules come into effect next month.
'We wish we could've reached that kid earlier,' says online educator about boy's suicide after apparent sextortion
The chat may seem innocuous at first. The victims, often young men or boys, start communicating with someone posing as a young girl, typically on the popular social media platforms Instagram and Snapchat. But with sextortion, which occurs when people are blackmailed for money or sexual favours, 'sextorters' convince them to share a sexual photo or video.
Hamas frees 10 Israeli women and children, 4 Thai nationals
Ten Israeli women and children and four Thai nationals held captive in Gaza were freed by Hamas, and Israel followed with the release of a group of Palestinian prisoners Thursday. It was the latest exchange of hostages for prisoners under a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza war. Two Russian-Israeli women were also freed by Hamas in a separate release.
Provinces are moving away from pap smears, but more infrastructure is needed
Some provinces are moving to HPV tests as the primary mode of cervical cancer screening, and others are close behind, an expert says.
opinion
opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears
With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.
Canada
-
Ontario doctors disciplined over Israel-Gaza protests
A number of doctors are facing scrutiny for publicizing their opinions on the Israel-Hamas war. Critics say expressing their political views could impact patient care, while others say that it is being used as an excuse for censorship.
-
Annual Lego exhibit in Halifax inspires new generation of builders
Owen Grace has spent the last 20 years sharing his childhood hobby, Lego, through an exhibit he calls, 'Bricks by the Sea.'
-
Manslaughter charges laid against man accused of trafficking gun to teen who killed Edmonton police officers
A 19-year-old man accused of trafficking a firearm to the 16-year-old boy who killed two Edmonton police officers has been charged with manslaughter.
-
'A no-brainer solution': Canada bolsters fight against powerful pollutant methane to help country reach climate goals
Canada is ramping up its climate battle by strengthening its regulations for methane, a greenhouse gas that environmental experts say has a more potent warming effect than carbon dioxide, as the country aims to reduce oil and gas methane emissions by at least 75 per cent by 2030.
-
'We wish we could've reached that kid earlier,' says online educator about boy's suicide after apparent sextortion
The chat may seem innocuous at first. The victims, often young men or boys, start communicating with someone posing as a young girl, typically on the popular social media platforms Instagram and Snapchat. But with sextortion, which occurs when people are blackmailed for money or sexual favours, 'sextorters' convince them to share a sexual photo or video.
-
U.S. says alleged murder plotter was directed by India and mentioned B.C. killing
U.S. officials have charged an Indian national in a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil – in a case they say is connected to the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
World
-
South Koreans want their own nukes. That could roil one of the world's most dangerous regions
With dozens of nukes in North Korea's burgeoning arsenal, repeated threats to launch them at its enemies, and a stream of tests of powerful missiles designed to pinpoint target a U.S. city with a nuclear strike, a growing number of South Koreans are losing faith in America's vow to back its longtime ally.
-
Kim's sister rejects U.S. offer of dialogue with North Korea and vows more satellite launches
The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday dismissed U.S. calls for a return to diplomacy and lambasted condemnations of the North's recent spy satellite launch, vowing more launches in violation of U.N. bans.
-
Iowa Lottery posted wrong Powerball numbers -- but temporary 'winners' get to keep the money
Powerball losers in Iowa were actually winners for about seven hours this week after the state's lottery mistakenly posted the wrong winning numbers for the game.
-
Colombian judge orders prison for 2 suspects in the kidnapping of parents of Liverpool soccer player
Two suspects in the kidnapping of the parents of Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz were ordered sent to prison by a judge, Colombia's Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday, accusing one of the men of being the link to a person close to the family who provided information about the victims.
-
FBI: Man wearing Captain America backpack stole items from senators' desks during Capitol riot
A Virginia man was arrested Wednesday on charges that he stormed the U.S. Capitol while wearing a Captain America backpack and stole items from senators' desks on the Senate floor during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, court records show.
-
Prosecutors say paramedics ignored Elijah McClain's distress after stop and killed him with overdose
Two paramedics "did nothing" to help an ailing Elijah McClain as he lay on the ground, a Colorado prosecutor said Wednesday, and instead they overdosed him with a powerful sedative that killed the 23-year-old Black man after officers forcibly restrained him as he walked home from a convenience store.
Politics
-
'No concessions' St-Onge says in $100M a year news deal with Google
The Canadian government has reached a deal with Google over the Online News Act that will see the tech giant pay $100 million annually to publishers, and continue to allow access to Canadian news content on its platform. This comes after Google had threatened to block news on its platform when the contentious new rules come into effect next month.
-
Online harms bill: Don't link boy's suicide with government actions, Trudeau says
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that it's inappropriate to draw a link between government actions and the death of a British Columbia boy who killed himself last month after falling prey to online sextortion.
-
Conservative motion demanding 'unelected' Senate pass carbon-pricing carve-out bill fails
A Conservative motion demanding the 'unelected Senate' immediately pass a bill exempting more farm fuels from carbon pricing has failed, with the Bloc Quebecois saying it could not support what it called a Tory intimidation campaign.
Health
-
Alberta Health Services issues measles alert in Calgary
Alberta Health Services is warning the public about a lab-confirmed case of measles in the Calgary area, adding that the public may have been exposed.
-
Study finds lower health-care costs among Ontario patients who had female surgeons
An Ontario-based study published today suggests patients treated by female surgeons incur lower health-care costs than those treated by male surgeons.
-
Provinces are moving away from pap smears, but more infrastructure is needed
Some provinces are moving to HPV tests as the primary mode of cervical cancer screening, and others are close behind, an expert says.
Sci-Tech
-
Make a mess of the streets of Toronto as a raccoon in new video game 'Trash Panda'
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience the city as a raccoon, wreaking havoc and being enamored with garbage? Well, a new video game created by a Toronto-based filmmaker lets you do just that. The game, ‘Trash Panda,’ was officially released on Nov. 15 and is now available for sale.
-
Google will start deleting 'inactive' accounts in December. Here's what you need to know
Under Google's updated inactive-account policy, which the tech giant announced back in May, accounts that haven't been used in at least two years could be deleted. Accounts deemed inactive will be erased in a phased-approach beginning Friday.
-
New technology installed beneath Detroit street can charge electric vehicles as they drive
Crews have installed what's billed as the nation's first wireless-charging public roadway for electric vehicles beneath a street just west of downtown Detroit.
Entertainment
-
Daryl Hall accuses John Oates of 'ultimate partnership betrayal' in plan to sell stake in business
Daryl Hall has accused his longtime music partner John Oates of committing the "ultimate partnership betrayal" by planning to sell his share of the Hall & Oates duo's joint venture without the other's permission, Hall said in a court declaration supporting his lawsuit to keep the transaction paused.
-
Britain's Parliament honors Elton John for his work fighting HIV in the U.K. and beyond
Elton John has addressed Britain's Parliament at an event honoring his dedication to fighting HIV in the U.K. and beyond. The British star spoke to dozens of lawmakers and campaigners in the grand Speaker's House of Parliament on Wednesday.
-
opinion
opinion Five revelations from best-seller 'Endgame' that are sure to upset the Royal Family
Royal commentator Afua Hagan on five revelations in a new book that's sure to send shockwaves through the Royal Family's ranks.
