Facebook parent, Meta, has announced the rollout of a Twitter Blue-like paid verification subscription service. Called Meta Verified, the subscription will be available at a monthly fee of $11.99 and $14.99 on the web and iOS, respectively.
Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of Mea Verified at a time when his organization is exploring new ways to diversify its revenue sources, media reports said.
Meta’s conventional digital advertising was a big hit last year after the global economic downturn caused by iOS’ privacy policy changes. Initially, the service will be available for Australian and New Zealand users and will expand to more countries soon.
Leveraging this subscription service, Facebook users will be able to verify their accounts with a government identification proof. In turn, Facebook will provide the profile with a blue badge and advanced impersonation protection against suspicious accounts. Moreover, the users will be able to access Facebook’s premium customer support.
According to Zuckerberg, this will add to a profile’s authenticity and security. It’s being said that Zuckerberg has got inspiration from Twitter’s revamped version, Twitter Blue. Users who subscribe to the Twitter Blue services get a verified blue check mark and a bunch of exclusive features like tweet editing, posting longer videos of more than an hour, bookmark organizing, adding NFT profile pictures, app icon customization, etc.
However, unlike Twitter Blue, Meta Verified won’t scrap its existing verification system holistically. Moreover, users can subscribe to this service for profiles, not pages. Those who have already managed to acquire a verified badge won’t lose it. Besides, for the accounts that won’t subscribe to the new Meta Verified service, the organization will put them on assessment based on several factors to figure out if those profiles are in line with their verification criteria.
Meta, however, hasn’t declared the exact date of launching the service. Critics are claiming that Meta Verified is a reflection of the deep influence that Elon Musk has left on Zuckerberg with his Twitter Blue.
