So I got the message from instagram about either paying or using it free (at the cost personalised ads) just now.
Doesn't this go against the GDPR? Either way, is there a FOSS alternative for instagram like piped is to youtube? It seems like a good opportunity to stop using the official app, even though it would be better to not use instagram at all (sadly not an option for me right now).
Any suggestions, and if so, are there any that provide functionality for: stories, posts, dms? Those are the 3 things I use instagram for.
Many thanks!
Edit: For messaging I do use beeper, though some media like carousels and posts sent to my dms cant be shown in there, so for those cases I open the official app.
Edit 2: many people have suggested pixelfed. Ive heard of it, and want to use it, but unfortunately the only reason Im still sticking with instagram is because I have very dear friends who would never change to anything non-mainstream. Theyre important enough that im willing to not delete it just yet, but I dont want to agree to either pay or pay with my data.
What im looking for is more like a piped for youtube, thing. So a frintend that has instagram content/features, but isnt the main app and avoids the problems I listed above
Edit 3: I ended up installing the site as a PWA on my phone as thats the only device I use it on, and uninstalled the official app. Thanks to everyone for all your input!
As far as I understand, this subscription "option" comes from a couple EU member state data protection agencies saying that the "choice" between give up all your personal information or don't use the service isn't good enough.
It remains to be seen if give up all your personal information or pay and still give up all your personal information will be accepted by those and other regulators. I can't imagine it will be.
Also fun fact, it costs more on the mobile apps as Meta passes the Play Store/App Store fees onto the end user.