Meta is taking a page out of Twitter’s book and launching a subscription service of its own. According to a post by CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook, the social media company is rolling out the “Meta Verified” subscription service for user profiles – both on Facebook and on Instagram.
Users who subscribe to Meta Verified can add the coveted “Blue Tick” checkmark to their Instagram and Facebook accounts. This move marks a distinct push from Meta’s “free-always” model – a long-standing model that had set the tone for other social media platforms and collected user data in order to sell personalized advertisements. This model served the company for years and ensured that it could pocket billions of dollars a year.
The Meta Verified subscription service will first roll out to users in Australia and New Zealand later this week, the company said, before it comes to other countries later. Meta added that users can get the blue checkmark by verifying their accounts using a government ID. To date, Meta has provided the blue checkmark to high-profile users such as politicians, executives, press members of the press, and organizations. And unlike Twitter Blue, Meta will not remove the blue checkmark from accounts previously verified by the company.
Users can subscribe to the Meta Verified service at $11.99 (£9.96) per month on the web or $14.99 on the iPhone. In contrast, Twitter’s subscription service – Twitter Blue – is priced at $8/month on the web or $11/month on the app for iPhone and Android users. They will also need to meet the minimum activity requirements, be at least 18 years of age or older, and submit a government ID that matches the name and photo they have on Facebook or Instagram.
“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 wrote. “This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services.”
Currently, businesses are not eligible to apply for Meta Verified, and users will not be able to change details such as their profile name, username, date of birth, or profile photo without going through the application process again. Those who sign up for the service will get exclusive stickers for Stories and Reels, and receive 100 free stars per month.
“Long term, we want to build a subscription offering that’s valuable to everyone, including creators, businesses, and our community at large,” Meta wrote 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.”
