Blue badge coming to Facebook and Instagram

On Sunday, Meta Platforms announced its testing of a new monthly subscription service named “Meta Verified.” The service aims to assist content creators in growing and building communities by allowing users to verify their accounts using a government ID and receive a blue badge.

The subscription bundle, which includes extra protection against impersonation, will be available on both Instagram and Facebook and will be launched later this week. The cost will start at $11.99 US per month on the web, while on Apple’s iOS system and Android, the cost will be $14.99 a month.
Initially, Meta Verified will be launched in Australia and New Zealand with gradual rollouts in other countries.

This move into subscription services follows Twitter’s announcement last month that it will offer Twitter Blue at $11 per month.

Earlier, the CEO of the social media giant, Mark Zuckerberg, had stated that the company is planning to launch several new products that would “empower creators to be way more productive and creative,” even though there are concerns about the associated costs of supporting the technology for a large user base.

Other social media apps, such as Snap Inc.’s Snapchat and messaging app Telegram, introduced paid subscription services last year to provide new sources of revenue.