Meta launches paid verification service for Facebook, Instagram

WASHINGTON - Meta announced Friday it is launching a paid verification service for Instagram and Facebook, which will assign blue check marks to accounts for a monthly fee.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said users will have to pay US$11.99 (RM54) per month on the web and US$14.99 (RM67.5) per month on mobile for a blue checkmark.

"Meta Verified is rolling out in the US today.

"You can get a badge, proactive impersonation protection, and direct access to customer support,” United Press International (UPI) Zuckerberg said Friday in the Meta Channel on Instagram.

According to information online, users won't be allowed to use one Meta Verified subscription for both Instagram and Facebook and will have to subscribe to each app individually, it added.

The subscription service was first launched in Australia and New Zealand last month and requires a government-issued photo ID to confirm identity.

It also reported Meta said users won't be allowed to change identifiers such as profile name, username, photo, and other descriptors unless they refile through the verification process.

Users also have to be 18 to be eligible for the verification service.

The new process is similar to Twitter, where CEO Elon Musk has introduced paid verification for US$8 per month. However, Facebook and Instagram users who are already verified will not have to pay. - BERNAMA-UPI