Meta Verified, paid certification service for Facebook and Instagram

Meta Verified is a paid subscription for Facebook and Instagram, similar to Twitter Blue, but with a blue icon among other benefits.

So the rumors turned out to be true: Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is getting ready to launch a subscription service very similar to Twitter Blue called Meta Verified. This Sunday, Mark Zuckerberg took to his latest broadcast channel to share information. He explains that this subscription service will give users a blue badge, additional identity theft protection, and direct access to customer service.

Meta Verified is a paid Facebook and Instagram subscription similar to Twitter Blue.

“This feature is designed to improve the authenticity and security of all of our services,” Zuckerberg said, adding that Meta will first test the feature in Australia and New Zealand before rolling it out to other countries. Meta Verified will cost $15 per month if users sign up through the iOS and Android apps. Online, where no store fee applies, the service will be offered at $12 per month. This subscription will apply to Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Users will need to meet certain criteria before they can sign up for Meta Verified. Specifically, the company told Engadget that the subscription will only be offered to users over the age of 18. Meta will also require potential subscribers to provide official ID with the same profile name and photo as the Facebook or Instagram account. Once verified, you won’t be able to change your profile name, date of birth, or photo without going through the verification process. Accounts that were certified prior to today’s announcement due to their infamy will remain certified.

Possessing, among other benefits, a blue badge

Among the benefits offered, in addition to a blue badge and better search visibility, Meta will give verified followers 100 free stars, a currency they can use to reward their favorite Facebook creators. The subscription also offers access to exclusive stickers for Stories and Reels. Rumors about this paid certification service began circulating in early February, when engineer Alessandro Paluzzi discovered a code referring to “paid blue badge”and “identity verification.”This Sunday, social media consultant and former Next Web journalist Matt Navarra discovered that Meta posted an Instagram help page detailing the subscription, only to delete it seconds later.

12 bucks a month for checking on Facebook… I wonder if people will keep the same energy of Twitter Blue outrage ? pic.twitter.com/ZPJsIHBerO

— Marks Brownlee (@MKBHD) February 19, 2023