For $11.99 per month on the web and $14.99 per month on mobile, Meta‘s testing issued paid blue checks for Facebook and Instagram.
A “Meta Verified” account will give users a verified blue badge, higher visibility on the platforms, priority customer assistance, and other benefits, according to an update from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
This week, the function will launch in Australia and New Zealand; additional nations will follow “soon.”
“This week we’re starting to roll out Meta Verified — a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support,” Zuckerberg writes.
“This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services.”
Requirements For Getting Paid Blue Check
You must fulfil minimum activity requirements, be at least 18 years of age, and produce a government ID that matches your name and profile picture on Facebook or Instagram in order to sign up to become Meta Verified.
The new service is similar to Elon Musk’s $8/month Twitter Blue, but Meta points out that it won’t affect accounts that have already been verified using the prior standards, such as notability and authenticity.
Those who sign up for the blue check service will also earn exclusive stickers for Stories and Reels in addition to 100 free stars every month, or the digital currency which can be used to tip Facebook creators.
In addition, Meta states that changing your profile name, username, birthday, or profile photo would require a new verification process and that businesses cannot currently apply for a Meta Verified badge.
“Long term, we want to build a subscription offering that’s valuable to everyone, including creators, businesses and our community at large,” Meta writes in a blog post.
“As part of this vision, we are evolving the meaning of the verified badge so we can expand access to verification and more people can trust the accounts they interact with are authentic.”
The paid blue check service will cost $19.99 AUD on the online and $24.99 AUD on mobile when it launches in Australia and New Zealand this week, or $23.99 NZD on the web and $29.99 NZD on mobile.
The higher price on iOS and Android is perhaps an attempt to make up for the commission that is charged by both Apple and Google on in-app purchases.
The service was the subject of rumors before this month when a TechCrunch investigation revealed references to paid blue check verification in Instagram’s source code.
A help page for paid blue check verification was subsequently launched on either the Australian or New Zealand-based versions of Instagram by social marketing strategist Matt Navarra.
Having said that, it’s challenging to overlook the similarities between Twitter Blue, which Musk recently relaunched, and Meta’s new blue checkmark membership.
Although we still don’t know what those additional safeguards are against fake accounts, it appears that Meta is taking account authenticity a little more seriously because it still asks users to provide government-issued identification (much like the old Twitter verification process did) and because it purports to offer additional protections against them.
So, let’s hope it won’t result in the influx of false verified accounts that Twitter experienced last year.
To read our blog on “Twitter Blue Tick subscription through iPhone app will cost $11,” click here.
