Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during a livestreamed virtual and augmented reality conference to announce Facebook’s renaming to Meta, in this screenshot from a video released October 28, 2021. FACEBOOK / VIA REUTERS
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta will launch a paid subscription service starting at $11.99 per month that will allow users to verify their accounts, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Sunday, Feb. 19, following a similar move by Elon Musk at Twitter.
Launching first in Australia and New Zealand this week, Meta Verified allows users to “verify your account with a government ID, receive a blue badge, gain additional identity protection against accounts impersonating you, and direct access to the… “This new feature is about increasing the authenticity and security of our services,” he wrote in a statement posted to his Facebook account.
There would be no changes to already verified accounts on Facebook and Instagram, the company said, adding that only users over the age of 18 are allowed to subscribe. The service is not yet available to businesses.
Read more Meta reports first drop in sales since IPO
Musk’s attempts backfired
Musk’s initial attempts to launch a similar service on rival social media network Twitter last year backfired with an embarrassing spate of fake accounts that terrified advertisers and cast doubt on the site’s future. He was forced to briefly suspend the effort before resuming it in December to a muted reception.
Meta’s announcement comes as the social media giant struggled with financial difficulties over the past year and announced in November that it would lay off 11,000 employees, or 13 percent of its workforce — the biggest layoff in the company’s history.
The layoffs are part of a wave of layoffs announced by Silicon Valley giants in recent months as the once unassailable sector faces economic gloom.
Meta is also under pressure to take a big risk in the Metaverse, the world of virtual reality that Zuckerberg believes will be the next online frontier.
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Investors have punished Meta over the past year, driving the company’s share price down a staggering two-thirds in 12 months, but the stock has regained some ground in 2023. Zuckerberg remains optimistic about Meta’s future.
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Earlier this month, the company reported its first annual revenue decline since going public in 2012, but the decline wasn’t as brutal as expected. The company also recently announced that the number of daily users on Facebook has reached two billion for the first time.
Source: www.lemonde.fr
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