A new subscription service that would enable Facebook and Instagram users pay for a verified account is currently being tested by Meta.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, revealed Meta Verified on his social media channels on Sunday. According to him, testing will start this week in Australia and New Zealand and spread to other nations soon.
At $14.99 per month on Apple and Android operating systems or $11.99 per month on the web, Meta will utilise a user’s government identity to verify their account and provide them a blue badge. Traditionally, Meta’s blue badges were given away and only to well-known individuals or organisations.
According to Meta, subscribers would also have additional security against account impersonation and direct access to customer care.
Zuckerberg’s letter stated “this new feature is about strengthening authenticity and security across our services.”
According to Meta, the adjustment will not apply to verified individuals or public figures. Influencers and other social media users who run their businesses but aren’t well-known public personalities are the target audience for Meta Verified.
By announcing a subscription service, Meta is following Twitter’s lead. Twitter started charging users $8 a month for Twitter Blue, which validates accounts with a blue check, in the latter part of last year.
Twitter went one step further with the service on Saturday, revealing that users who don’t pay the $8 per month for Twitter Blue would no longer be able to safeguard their accounts with two-factor authentication.
As internet advertising slows, social media businesses have been looking for alternative revenue streams. This month, despite an increase in users, Meta reported its third straight quarter of revenue decreases. In November, Meta stated that 11,000 employees, or 13% of the workforce, will be let go.