Meta is testing a subscription service that will allow Instagram and Facebook users to pay to be verified, Mark Zuckerberg announced Sunday (19) via Instagram.
“Meta Verified” will start at $11.99 per month on the web or $14.99 per month on iOS. Meta will begin testing this week in Australia and New Zealand, later expanding the service “in more countries soon”.
The service also comes with other perks: extra protection against fake accounts and direct access to customer support.
To avoid fake accounts, customers who want to get the blue badge must provide a government ID that matches their name and profile picture. Users must also be over 18 to be eligible.
“This new feature aims to increase authenticity and security on our services,” Zuckerberg wrote in an Instagram broadcast channel.
In a statement, Meta clarified that there will be no changes to already verified accounts. Previously, verification was for “authentic and notable” users.
“We are evolving the meaning of the blue badge to focus on authenticity so we can expand verification access to more people,” said a Meta spokesperson.
“We will display follower counts in more places so that people can distinguish which accounts are notable public figures among accounts that share the same name.”
Meta joins other platforms such as Discord, Reddit and YouTube that have their own subscription-based models.
the twitter relaunched its own verification subscription serviceTwitter Blue, in December after a surge in fake “verified” accounts forced it to pull the feature.
Checkmark options now have different colors to differentiate accounts: gold checks for companies, gray checks for government entities and other organizations, and blue checks for individuals, whether they are celebrities or not.
Twitter Blue costs $11 a month for iOS and Android subscribers, part of owner Elon Musk’s attempt to grow his subscription business after buying the platform for $44 billion.
(CNN’s Clare Duffy contributed to this story)
Source: CNN Brasil
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