Meta will soon be rolling out a new paid subscription offering for Facebook and Instagram users that would enable them to get verified accounts.
The service will cost users $11.99 per month if they choose to subscribe through a web browser or $14.99 on Meta’s iOS app, accounting for Apple’s 30% commission on App Store sales.
The “Meta Verified” service, which will add a blue verification checkmark on profiles, is aimed at “increasing authenticity and security across our services,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. It will also extend “extra impersonation protection,” providing access to a live support agent for account-related issues and increasing overall reach and visibility.
To subscribe to the service, users must submit a government-issued photo ID that matches their profile. They must also be at least 18 years old and have a previous posting history on their account.
The service’s launch comes at a time when social media giants are struggling with ad revenue loss following Apple’s privacy changes. It also follows a similar move by Twitter, which under CEO Elon Musk’s directive, has begun offering an $8 subscription offering for access to the once-highly desired blue checkmark.
In developing its subscription offering, however, Meta has taken lessons from Twitter’s past mistakes.
Soon after Twitter’s rollout, many newly verified users began changing their photo and ID to impersonate legitimate brands — a problem that cost companies such as pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly to lose billions in stock value.
Facebook has sought to avoid a similar problem by not allowing subscribers to change profile details such as name, picture and username without going through the company’s verification system all over again. Twitter, too does not allow verified users to change key profile details anymore, although the company still does not require a government-issued ID for verification.
Meta plans to launch the service under a pilot in Australia and New Zealand this week, with more countries to follow.
The new subscription offering will not impact Instagram and Facebook accounts already verified based on prior requirements, including authenticity and notability.
