Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram has announced the launch of a paid verification service for users to pay to verify their account and get a blue badge.
This announcement was made known by CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Instagram on Sunday.
According to him in the update, “The service will also give subscribers ‘direct access to customer support’ and added protection against impersonation.”
“This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” he added.
This announcement came months after Twitter announced a similar service, Twitter Blue, late last year under CEO Elon Musk. The social media company relaunched the service in December, which charges users starting at $8 per month, following a surge in users impersonating celebrities, brands, and companies.
According to Zuckerberg, Meta Verified will start at $11.99 per month on the web or $14.99 on iOS, Users can make the purchase directly through Instagram and Facebook.
In order to be eligible for the service, users must be at least 18 and meet minimum activity requirements, like prior posting history, user must also provide a government ID that matches the associated Instagram or Facebook account’s profile name and photo.
The subscription service will debut in Australia and New Zealand this week, and will be available in other countries “soon,” Zuckerberg said.