Meta Platforms has announced that it is testing a monthly subscription service called Meta Verified for Facebook and Instagram, being rolled out this week.
The fee based service will charge Australian’s $19.99 a month — or $24.99 on Apple’s iOS system and Android — individual users (over 18 years of age) will be able to verify their accounts using a government ID and get a blue badge, as Meta looks to help content creators grow and build communities.
It also includes extra protection against impersonation and direct access to customer support, but is not yet available to businesses.
Meta Verified will be rolled out in Australia and New Zealand this week, with gradual launches in other countries to follow.
“This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said.
Meta joins other platforms, like Discord, Reddit and YouTube, who have their own subscription-based models.
Twitter relaunched its own verification subscription service, Twitter Blue, in December, after an onset of fake “verified” accounts forced it to pull the feature.