Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced the launch of Meta Verified in the United States. This subscription service, which was initially launched in Australia and New Zealand last month, enables users to add a blue check mark to their Facebook and Instagram accounts for a monthly fee of $11.99 on the web and $14.99 on mobile.
Meta Verified also includes proactive impersonation protection, direct access to customer support, and exclusive stickers on Facebook and Instagram Stories and Facebook Reels.
To sign up for the subscription service, interested users need to be at least 18 years old, join the waitlist, and complete the verification process by providing a government-issued photo ID to confirm their identity. Two-factor authentication is also required. It’s worth noting that Meta Verified subscribers will not be able to alter their profile name, photo, username, or date of birth unless they undergo the verification process again.
Also, Meta Verified subscribers receive 100 Stars per month on Facebook, which they can use to show their support for other creators. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, made the announcement in the Meta Channel on Instagram and encouraged interested users to sign up for the waitlist.
Mark Zuckerberg seems to be taking a page from Elon Musk’s playbook with the launch of Meta Verified. This new subscription service is reminiscent of Twitter’s paid verification offering, which debuted after Elon Musk acquired the social network last fall. Twitter’s revamped Blue subscription service offers paid verification for $8 per month, enabling users to obtain a blue checkmark badge for their profile, along with other features.
While the two subscription services share similarities, there are some differences. For instance, Meta Verified is available on both Facebook and Instagram, while Twitter’s verification is limited to its own platform. Also, Meta Verified offers exclusive stickers, proactive impersonation protection, and access to customer support, which are not included in Twitter’s offering.
Nonetheless, the introduction of paid verification on both platforms is a notable shift in the social media landscape, with major players seeking to monetize and leverage the prestige associated with verified profiles.
