Facebook and Instagram users will soon have to pay a blue tick to distinguish their accounts as verified.
This announcement is coming from Meta the parent brands of the platforms as its Chief Executive Officer, Mark Zuckerberg follows in the footsteps of Twitter’s Elon Mufsk who first introduced a fee for the blue ticks.
Mark Zuckerberg announced in a Facebook post on Sunday that the service would first roll out in Australia and New Zealand later this week.
The company said it would cost US$11.99 a month on web or US$14.99 on iOS and Android (or, in Australia, $19.99 on web or $24.99 on iOS and Android).
According to Zuckerberg, the fee to be paid verification will offer a blue badge and “extra impersonation protection”, improved reach and direct access to customer support to verified users.
In a blog post, Meta said it would rely on government ID documents to prove the identity of verified accounts, to avoid the embarrassment of accounts impersonating people and brands – as happened when Twitter initially rolled out its paid verification service.
Accounts must also have a posting history and users must be at least 18 years old.
The service would not be available to businesses at this stage, Meta said.
The increased visibility of posts from verified users would “depend on a subscriber’s existing audience size and the topic of their posts”, the company said. Those with smaller audiences might see more of an impact.
The company said it would also offer “exclusive stickers” on Facebook and Instagram stories and Facebook reels.
Meta cut 11,000 staff in November – the equivalent of 13% of its workforce – amid falling ad revenue and economic downturn. The company’s share price fell by more than 70% in 2022 before a rebound and in July it reported its first ever fall in revenue.
