Facebook and Instagram users in the US will be able to pay now and receive the long-awaited blue checks in their accounts.
Meta on Friday began testing paid verification options for US users of the two social networks, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Instagram. The company plans to gradually roll out the paid option to more US users over the next few weeks.
First tested in Australia and New Zealand in February, Meta Verified starts at $11.99/month on web and $14.99/month on mobile. In addition to verification, this option offers perks such as protection against account impersonation and direct access to customer support.
To avoid fake accounts, customers wishing to obtain a blue badge must provide a government ID that matches their profile name and photo. In addition, a user must be 18 years of age or older to use the new services.
“This new feature is intended to improve reliability and security across our services,” Zuckerberg said on Instagram’s broadcast channel in February.
Meta joins other platforms such as Discord, Reddit, and YouTube that have their own subscription-based model. Twitter relaunched its own verified subscription service, Twitter Blue, in December after being forced to shut down due to the emergence of fake “verified” accounts. Twitter Blue costs $11 per month for iOS and Android subscribers. It’s part of owner Elon Musk’s attempt to grow his subscription business after buying the platform for his $44 billion.
For Meta, the move promises other revenue streams beyond advertising, with the company’s core ad sales business under pressure from a number of factors, including Apple’s privacy changes and budget tightening due to recession fears. I am in the period of receiving
