Meta is testing paid verification for Instagram and Facebook for $11.99 per month on web and $14.99 per month on mobile. In an update on Instagram, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that a “Meta Verified” account grants users a verified badge, increased visibility across platforms, prioritized customer support, and more. The feature is rolling out this week in Australia and New Zealand, and will be available in more countries “soon”.
“This week we begin the rollout of Meta Verified – a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get added identity protection against accounts impersonating you, and get direct access to customer support,” writes Zuckerberg. “This new feature is all about increasing the authenticity and security of our services.”
To sign up for meta verification, you must meet minimum activity requirements, be at least 18 years old, and provide government-issued ID that matches the name and photo you have on Facebook or Instagram. The new offering sounds a lot like Elon Musk’s $8-a-month version of Twitter Blue, but Meta notes that it won’t make any changes to accounts verified against the company’s previous requirements, including notoriety and authenticity .
In addition, users who sign up for the service receive exclusive stickers for stories and reels, as well as 100 free stars per month or the digital currency that you can use to tip creators on Facebook. Meta advises that companies cannot yet apply for a Meta Verified badge, and that you cannot change your profile name, username, birthday, or profile photo without going through the verification process again.
When the service launches in Australia and New Zealand this week, it will cost AUD19.99 on web and AUD24.99 on mobile, or NZD23.99 on web and NZD29.99 on mobile. The higher cost of iOS and Android is likely a way to balance the commission that Apple and Google take on in-app purchases.
Rumors about the service first surfaced earlier this month when a report from TechCrunch common references to paid verification in Instagram source code. Social media consultant Matt Navarra posted later what appears to be a paid verification support page on the Australian or New Zealand version of Instagram.
With that in mind, it’s hard to ignore the parallels between Meta’s new tick subscription and Twitter Blue, which Musk relaunched just months ago. However, it seems like Meta is taking authenticity a bit more seriously, as users are still required to submit government IDs (as was the case with the old Twitter verification process) and supposedly offers additional protections against fake accounts, although we still don’t know which ones . Let’s just hope it doesn’t cause the flood of fake verified accounts we saw on Twitter last year.
Source: www.theverge.com
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