During the Today Show on NBC, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg indirectly suggested that the Facebook users who do not wish to share their private information might have to pay for it. She said that the service has an opt-out on different levels but there isn’t a universal ad opt-out. “That would be a paid product,” Sandberg told.
This discussion again came into the picture when Mark Zuckerberg was testifying before the Senate and he had some interesting insights to share.
During his testimony, Senator Orrin Hatch reminded Zuckerberg of his first visit to Capitol Hill in 2010 where he said that Facebook would always be free. “Is that still your objective?” Hatch asked.
To this question, Zuckerberg promised that there will always be a free version of Facebook. “It is our mission to try to help connect everyone around the world and to bring the world closer together,” he added.
In the reply to another question, he said that Facebook doesn’t offer an option today to pay to not show ads.
In his answers, by specifically mentioning a “free version” of Facebook, Zuckerberg didn’t rule out the possibility of a paid version.
While Facebook might never release a paid version but the recent statements from company’s CEO and COO surely indicate that it’s something they could be considering.
What are your views on this development? Will you pay for a Facebook version that doesn’t show your views? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
