Facebook and Instagram are rolling out a new subscription service that seems a bit similar to Twitter Blue.
Parent company Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new initiative Sunday, dubbed “Meta Verified.”
“This week, we’re starting to roll out Meta Verified — a subscription service that lets you verify your account … this new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed on his recently created Instagram broadcast “Meta Channel,” which can only be accessed on mobile devices.
Meta’s press release on the initiative revealed that for $11.99 a month on the web or $14.99 on iOS and Android, subscribers can receive a verification badge, protections from impersonations, the ability to contact a “real person” for assistance in account mishaps, higher social media prominence, and a group of undefined “exclusive features to express yourself in unique ways.”
WATCH: Meta announced it is launching a monthly subscription service, called Meta Verified, which will let users verify their accounts using a government ID and get a blue badge https://t.co/9ewVEUk0t6 pic.twitter.com/Zjk2jC2ckx
— Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) February 20, 2023
It was also revealed that Meta Verified will be offered for customers in Australia and New Zealand later this week.
This new product of Meta comes with numerous stipulations, including that eligible users must present a government photo ID that both proves who they are and verifies an age of 18 years or older. There must also be an established history of posting.
As The Blaze noted, it seems Meta may have taken a cue from the chaos that occurred after Twitter’s initial rollout of Twitter Blue. Its paid monthly service features “proactive monitoring for account impersonation.” Upon being first released, Twitter Blue spelled chaos for the social media giant after it was filled with posts from fake accounts pretending to be Musk and various other prominent figures.
This news comes after Meta fired thousands of workers in the company, while also increasing its expenditures on the personal security of chief executive and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg from $4 million to $14 million.
Zuckerberg, who officially earns a salary of $1 a year although he received $27 million in payments in 2021, has referred to this time as the “year of efficiency.”
Twitter owner Elon Musk reacted to the news of Meta’s new verification service, appearing to laugh at a meme post about it put up by a user.
🤣
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 19, 2023
