Soon, American Facebook and Instagram users will be able to pay to have the coveted blue check displayed on their accounts.
Details about Meta has launched a paid verification alternative for users of Facebook and Instagram in the US.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed on Instagram that Meta had started testing a paid verification option for users of the two social networks in the US. During the coming weeks, the company intends to progressively expand the American customer base of the premium alternative.
Beginning at $11.99 per month for the web or $14.99 per month for mobile, Meta Verified was initially trialled in February in Australia and New Zealand. Along with authentication, the option comes with benefits including increased security against impersonator accounts and easy access to customer service.
Customers who desire the blue badge must present a government ID that matches their profile name and photo in order to prevent false accounts. To use the new service, users must be older than 18.
According to Zuckerberg, “This new feature is about strengthening authenticity & security across our services,” he stated in a televised message on Instagram in February.
Meta joins other websites with subscription-based business structures, such as Discord, Reddit, and YouTube. After being forced to remove the option due to an increase in bogus “confirmed” accounts, Twitter relaunched its own verification subscription service, Twitter Blue, in December. After purchasing the network for $44 billion, owner Elon Musk is trying to increase its subscriptions business via Twitter Blue, which costs $11 per month for iOS and Android users.
At a time when its primary ad sales business is under pressure from a number of sources, including privacy rules on Apple and cutting budgets amid recession fears, the move holds the prospect of additional revenue streams outside of advertising for Meta.
