Meta Platforms, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, announced that it would introduce a monthly subscription service for users who want a verified badge.
In a news release, the company described “Meta Verified” as a “subscription bundle on Instagram and Facebook that includes a verified badge that authenticates your account with government ID, proactive account protection, access to account support and increased visibility and reach.” The service costs $11.99 online, and $14.99 on iOS and Android, and is being introduced as a test in Australia and New Zealand this week.
A spokesperson for the company told The New York Times that the service would be expanded to the United States in the next few weeks.
While the new subscription is offered on Facebook and Instagram, users will have to buy separate subscriptions for each of their accounts, Bloomberg reported.
Meta Platforms’ CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, said previously that the company was launching products designed to “empower creators to be way more productive and creative,” while cautioning about the cost of supporting the technology, Reuters reported.
A spokesperson for the company said that there will be no changes to accounts that are already verified, CNN reported.
“We are evolving the meaning of the blue badge to focus on authenticity so we can expand verification access to more people,” a Meta spokesperson told CNN. “We will display follower count in more places so people can distinguish which accounts are notable public figures among accounts that share the same name.”
Meta’s new subscription follows the introduction of Twitter Blue in November, which began to charge users on Elon Musk’s social media platform $7.99 a month for a blue check mark.
Snapchat launched a paid subscription plan in 2022, called Snapchat+, which offers users access to exclusive features for $3.99 a month, the Wall Street Journal reported.
