In addition to the blue check, Facebook and Instagram users will receive improved impressions, protection against copycat accounts, priority support, and more.
Meta announced that it is starting to test paid verification on Instagram and Facebook for $11.99 on the web and $14.99 on mobile. (The high cost on iOS and Android is probably a way to offset the fees Apple and Google get for in-app purchases.) The CEO of the company, Mark Zuckerberg, noted that verified accounts will receive a “blue checkmark”, improved display on the platform, priority support, etc.
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The subscription will launch in Australia and New Zealand this week, with other countries coming soon.
“We’re rolling out Meta Verified, a subscription service that allows you to verify your account with an official ID, get a blue badge, additional protection against fake versions of your account, and direct access to customer support. The new feature is aimed at increasing the authenticity and security of our services,” writes Zuckerberg.
Those wishing to subscribe to Meta Verified must meet the minimum requirements for activity on the platform, be at least 18 years old, and provide an official ID that matches their name and photo on Facebook or Instagram.
In addition, verified users with money will receive exclusive stickers for Stories and Reels, as well as 100 free stars per month, a digital currency that can be used to thank creators on Facebook. Meta notes that companies cannot yet apply for the Meta Verified badge. Name, date of birth or profile photo cannot be changed without going through the verification process again.
The new offering really does look a lot like Elon Musk’s $8/month version of Twitter Blue. But Meta seems to be taking the authenticity of accounts a bit more seriously, as it will still require users to provide government IDs (as Twitter’s old verification process did) and will reportedly offer additional safeguards against fake accounts, though it’s not yet clear what those are will be
“In the long term, we want to create a subscription offering that is valuable to everyone, including creators, companies and our community at large. We’re expanding access to verification so more people can trust the accounts they interact with,” Meta wrote in a blog post.
Twitter will charge $1,000 per month for the “golden tick” and another $50 for each additional company account
Source: The Verge
