Meta follows Twitter to launch paid verification services on its platforms

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has followed Twitter into launching a paid verification service for its users on its Instagram and Facebook platforms. The service will be rolled out in Australia and New Zealand first and then rolled out in other countries, Business Insider reported.

Meta's move comes at a time when social media companies see a revenue slowdown amidst harsh macroeconomic conditions. As companies have cut jobs to mitigate their bottom line, the paid verification service can provide an additional source of revenue.

What does Meta Verified offer?

According to Meta's announcement, the paid verification service will provide users with a blue badge and get extra protection from accounts trying to impersonate users. The feature is intended to increase authenticity and security on Meta's platforms.

Users opting for this service will also get increased visibility in search results and recommendations from the platform. On Instagram, users will get access to exclusive stickers that can be used in stories, and all subscribers will have direct access to customer support, the Business Insider added.

The service will be launched in Australia and New Zealand first and starts at $11.99 a month on the web and $14.99 a month on iOS. Learning from Twitter's experiences, where paid verification led to chaos and impersonation on the platform, Meta has also put down some ground rules for this service t,o begin with.

Individuals above 18 years of age can only avail of the service. To do so, they need to present a government ID and a posting history on the platform that will be looked into. Meta Verified has not been launched for businesses for now.

Elon Musk, whose social media platform Twitter, launched paid verification services on more than one occasion, before getting it right, responded with just one word to the news.

Inevitable

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 19, 2023

Interestingly, after the announcement, Meta took down the web pages on its website that revealed the paid subscription feature. The pages said the feature would be rolled out later this week and add more countries soon.

Another social media company, Snapchat, also offers subscription plans on its platform, giving paying members access to exclusive features. Subscribers can choose to display a black start next to their profile if they are paying a monthly fee of $3.99 to access the service.