The CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, revealed on Sunday that the company will begin rolling out a new service called “Meta Verified,” a subscription program that lets Facebook and Instagram users verify themselves with a blue badge for a fee.
Mr. Zuckerberg announced on his Facebook page that the company will start testing Meta Verified, a subscription bundle on Instagram and Facebook that includes a verified blue badge that authenticates a user’s account with a government ID, proactive account protection, access to account support, and increased visibility and reach.
He called Meta Verified, “a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support.”
According to the CEO’s post, the new offering would also boost authenticity and security across the service, as well as provide better protection against impersonation or fake accounts claiming to be you.
To be eligible to get verified, it is mandatory that an account meet minimum activity requirements, such as prior posting history, and that the user is at least 18 years old. Applicants must also provide a government ID that authenticates the profile name and photo of the Facebook or Instagram account for which they want to be verified.
Meta Verified will be available at the starting price of USD 11.99 per month on the web and USD 14.99 per month on the IOS operating system in Australia and New Zealand starting next week.
Last year, a similar feature to get oneself verified was also introduced by Twitter under the name Twitter Blue, which is currently offered in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the UK, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, India, Indonesia, and Brazil for USD 8 per month or USD 84 per year, as well as in-app on iOS or Android, with plans to expand.
