Meta Rolls Out Facebook and Instagram Paid Verification in the US

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has today announced that the company’s paid verification program is rolling out in the US.

“Meta Verified is rolling out in the US today,” Zuckerberg posted on his Instagram Broadcast Channel on Friday. “You can get a badge, proactive impersonation protection, and direct access to customer support.”

Meta Verified which costs $11.99 per month on the web and $14.99 per month on mobile, was launched last month and rolled out first in Australia and New Zealand.

The service which is Meta’s version of Twitter Blue offers a blue verification badge with several other benefits, including, improved protection against impersonation attacks, prioritized customer support, 100 free stars per month, or the digital currency you can use to tip creators on Facebook, and more.

However, Unlike Blue, Meta Verified requires users to meet specific eligibility criteria including being 18 years old or older and providing a government-issued ID that matches the profile name and photo on their Facebook or Instagram account.

While Verified subscribers in Australia and New Zealand got increased visibility, users in the US won’t be offered this perk.

“We heard feedback that how this piece of the offering worked was causing confusion, so we’re taking the time to further explore its value and learn before we consider expanding this component outside Australia and New Zealand,” said a Meta spokesperson.

Meanwhile, once a user is verified on Facebook or Instagram, they can’t change their profile name, username, date of birth, or photo without going through the verification process again.

Until the launch of Twitter’s revamped Blue, only notable figures such as government officials, actors, musicians, sports athletes, and journalists were eligible for a blue checkmark on social sites to indicate their authenticity.