Meta has launched a subscription feature that allows users of its Facebook and Instagram social media networks to pay for the privilege of being “verified.”
The feature, called “Meta Verified,” is similar in nature to Twitter Blue, in that it allows users to pay a monthly fee for a coveted blue badge with white checkmark across Meta services.
Meta says its verification feature requires users to submit a government identification to prove their authenticity and includes “proactive account protection” designed to thwart impersonation across its platforms. Once a Facebook or Instagram user is verified, they can’t change their full name, birthdate or profile photo unless they repeat the verification process again.
Meta is charging $12 a month to users who sign up for the verification feature online, or $15 a month if they sign up through an Apple or Android-powered mobile device like iPhone, iPad or the Samsung Galaxy line of phones. By comparison, Twitter charges $8 a month or $80 a year for Twitter Blue when users sign up online.
It wasn’t clear if Facebook and Instagram users who are currently verified will have to opt in to Meta’s new subscription verification feature. On Twitter, users with “legacy” verification badges will lose them at some point in the future, Twitter’s owner Elon Musk has said.
Meta’s verification subscription service is available to users in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and is open only to individuals. Meta Verified for Business is expected to launch at a later date.
