Meta rolls out paid verification option for Facebook and Instagram users in US
This will allow verified users to stand out from the rest, and may help Facebook and Instagram make money.Starting soon, Facebook and Instagram users in the United States will be able to pay to get a coveted blue check on their account. This will allow verified users to stand out from the rest, and
CNN New York --
Facebook and Instagram users from the United States will soon have the ability to pay for a blue check to be added to their accounts.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta began testing a paid verification option on Friday for US users of both social networks. Over the coming weeks, the company will gradually offer the paid option to more US customers.
Meta Verified was first tested in February in Australia, New Zealand and New Zealand. It costs $11.99 per month for the web and $14.99 per month for mobile. The option comes with additional protection against impersonation accounts as well as direct access to customer service.
Customers who wish to obtain the blue badge must provide a government ID that matches their profile name as well as their picture in order to avoid fraudulent accounts. To be eligible for this new service, users must be over 18 years old.
Zuckerberg posted the following statement in February on Instagram: "This new feature is about increasing authenticity & security across our services," Zuckerberg said in an Instagram broadcast channel.
Meta joins Discord, Reddit, and YouTube which all have subscription-based models. Twitter Blue, its verification subscription service, was relaunched in December after fake accounts were discovered. Twitter Blue is $11 per month for Android and iOS subscribers. This price is part of Elon Musk's effort to increase its subscriptions business.
Meta sees the move as a way to generate additional revenue beyond advertising at a time its core ad business is under severe pressure due to a variety of factors including privacy changes by Apple and tightening of budgets amid recession fears.