Visitors pose for a photo in front of the Meta (Facebook) sign at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California on December 29, 2022.
Typhoon Koskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Meta is launching a new paid account verification service called Meta Verified, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in an Instagram update on Sunday.
For $11.99 per month online and $14.99 per month on iOS, users of Meta’s Instagram and Facebook platforms will be able to submit their government ID and receive a blue verification badge. The service will launch in Australia and New Zealand this week, with other countries to follow, Zuckerberg said.
“This new feature aims to improve the authenticity and security of our services,” Zuckerberg wrote in a post.
Meta has historically provided verification to prominent users such as politicians, executives, members of the press, and organizations to demonstrate their legitimacy. The company’s new subscription service is similar to Twitter’s upgraded service called Twitter Blue, which also gives users a verification badge when they pay a monthly fee.
Twitter launched a revamped subscription service, Twitter Blue, in December after the company’s new owner Elon Musk halted and delayed the original launch in November. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, which bought Twitter for $44 billion in October, said the new verification system would “a great leveler“and give”power of the people.“
