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Meta verification

Paid Instagram and Facebook Verification Service ‘Meta Verified’ Rolls Out


Meta is trialling a paid verification system for Facebook and Instagram that will “increase visibility and reach,” for $19.99 AUD per month on the web and $24.99 AUD per month on iOS and Android.

Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the news in an Instagram post (that has since been deleted?), instantly reminding everyone of the Elon Musk paid Twitter Blue disaster. “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,” said Zuckerberg, “This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services.”

Related: These are the richest people in Australia right now.

Zuckerberg vr

Mark Zuckerberg in the Metaverse | Image: Facebook

It seems the verified subscription model is posing as a way to ensure the security of people’s accounts with “proactive monitoring for account impersonation.” However, the real juice lies in the “increased visibility and reach” component that will boost people’s accounts in “search, comments and recommendations.”

Meta says smaller creators will see a larger increase in reach after paying for the verification badge, the fine print reads; “Increased visibility may vary depending on a subscriber’s existing audience size and the topic of their posts. Subscribers with a smaller following may see a more noticeable impact on their reach since their audiences are smaller.”

To be eligible, accounts must meet minimum activity requirements, such as prior posting history, and be at least 18 years old.

A release from Meta detailed exactly what a user will receive for the subscription, and includes;

  • A verified badge, confirming you’re the real you and that your account has been authenticated with a government ID.
  • Increased visibility and reach with prominence in some areas of the platform – like search, comments and recommendations.
  • More protection from impersonation with proactive account monitoring for impersonators.
  • Help when you need it with access to a real person for common account issues.
  • Exclusive features to express yourself in unique ways.

While there are no changes being made to legacy accounts of people and businesses already verified as of yet, Meta says that it “wants to build a subscription offering that’s valuable to everyone, including creators, businesses and our community at large.” We’d predict it’s only a matter of time before a business verification system is in the plan for the long term, similar to the gold checkmark on Twitter.

For more information on paid Meta verification, check out the official release below.

Check it out

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