Meta launches “Meta Verified” for Instagram and Facebook profiles for $12 per month

Meta is launching a new paid verification subscription service called Meta Verified, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Sunday.

Coming soon, for $11.99/mo on web and $14.99/mo on iOs, users on Instagram and Facebook can pay to become verified users, which comes with a blue verification badge, among other benefits.

The service will launch first in New Zealand and Australia this year and will be available in other countries “soon,” according to Zuckerberg.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new verified system on Sunday morning

The system, which appears to be very similar to Twitter’s new blue-tick verification system, is rolling out in Australia and New Zealand this week

‘This week we begin the launch of Meta Verified – a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get added identity protection against accounts impersonating you, and get direct access to customer support’, wrote Meta boss Zuckerberg on Instagram.

“This new feature is all about increasing the authenticity and security of our services.”

The company has previously verified well-known personalities such as celebrities, business leaders, journalists, politicians and athletes.

Meta said those with pre-existing verification badges will not change their status or options in the new subscription verification era.

The new verification system is very similar to Elon Musk’s Twitter Blue service, which rolled out in December after an initially delayed launch.

Twitter’s blue tick subscription costs users eight dollars a month.

In December, after a delay, Elon Musk rolled out his new Twitter blue check system, which costs users $8 a month to check

The new meta system seems in many ways similar to Twitter’s feature, which went through several rounds of fake account bugs before reaching its final form

According to The Verge, users who sign up for Meta’s new systems will receive exclusive stickers for Stories and Reels, and will also receive 100 free Stars per month, or the digital currency used to tip Facebook creators.

Businesses can’t yet apply for a verified badge, and if an individual wants to change their profile name, username, birthday, or profile picture, they’ll have to go through the entire verification process again.

Unlike Twitter, Meta requires users to provide government-issued ID to receive account verification, and will also reportedly offer other safeguards against fake accounts.

The service’s higher price on iOS and Android is likely something the company is doing to offset the commission that both the Apple and Google stores take for in-app purchases.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk