Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on February 19 announced a paid subscription for Meta services which will provide paid blue badge verification on Facebook and Instagram.
Zuckerberg posted about the launch of Meta Verified, a service starting at $11.99 a month to authenticate one’s account, which follows a similar move by Elon Musk at Twitter.
“This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” Zuckerberg wrote in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram.
Meta Verified will be rolled out in Australia and New Zealand this week before coming to other countries.
Subscribers will get a badge indicating their account has been verified with a government ID, extra protection against impersonation, direct access to customer support and more visibility, according to the company.
The social media giant said the service would be primarily aimed at content creators looking to expand their presence on the platforms and could see adjustments after a test phase.
There would be no changes to accounts on Facebook and Instagram that are already verified, the company said, adding that only users who are over the age of 18 will be allowed to subscribe.
