One of the things Meta (formerly Facebook) does best to keep users on its social media platforms is to copy competitors exhaustively. Meta has done it again, this time targeting Twitter’s most controversial move to date. Meta will now let you add profile verification checks to Facebook and Instagram for $12 a month via Meta Verified, a feature similar to the Twitter Blue subscription that Twitter had such a difficult time introducing.
Paying Meta a monthly fee for Verified does not mean you’ll get fewer ads on its platforms. Or that advertisements will go away. Instead, Meta wants to sell the subscription service as a means to verify the identity of content creators.
“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,” Mark Zuckerberg announced on Instagram. “This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services.”
In addition to the verified badge, the Facebook and Instagram verification subscription will give users increased visibility, protection from impersonation, and prioritized customer support. Other exclusive features will also be available. Here are some of them:
We’ll offer exclusive stickers on Facebook and Instagram Stories and Facebook Reels, and 100 free stars a month on Facebook so you can show your support for other creators.
Meta confirmed the feature via a blog post that focuses on content creators getting the verification checkmark.
Meta’s blue badge (Meta Verified) will be available initially in Australia and New Zealand. But it’ll expand to other markets in the future.
Meta Verified will cost $11.99 on Facebook or Instagram when purchased in a web browser. You’ll have to pay $14.99 on iPhone and Android.
Accounts must meet minimum requirements to be eligible, including age. Users will have to be at least 18 to get Meta Verified. Applicants will have to submit a government ID that matches the profile name and photo of the Facebook or Instagram they want to have verified.
Facebook and Instagram users will have to employ real names on their profiles. That’s the only way to get Meta Verified, according to Facebook:
At this time, Meta Verified will only support your real name on your profile. Once your profile is verified, you can’t change the profile name, username, date of birth, or photo on your profile without going through the Meta Verified subscription and verifications application process again.
Finally, Meta said it wouldn’t make any changes to Facebook and Instagram accounts that have been verified via other requirements in the past.
