Facebook-parent Meta plans to start offering users verified blue badges and direct customer-support access for $11.99 a month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Sunday.
"This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services," Zuckerberg wrote in posts on Facebook and Instagram, which Meta also owns. Users will have to submit a government ID to prove their identity to be eligible for the service, Meta Verified. However, users need to enroll separately for their Facebook and Instagram accounts, meaning the feature on both apps will cost $24 a month. The paid status will give subscribers "extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you," Zuckerberg said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Mary Poppins tour: 'humdinger' of a show kicks off at Bristol HippodromeThe Week Recommends Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers are 'true triple threats' as Mary and Bert in 'timeless' production
-
Jaguar's stalled rebrandIn the spotlight Critics and car lovers are baffled by the luxury car company's 'complete reset'
-
What the chancellor's pension megafund plans mean for your moneyRachel Reeves wants pension schemes to merge and back UK infrastructure – but is it putting your money at risk?
-
Racist texts tell Black people in US to prepare for slaverySpeed Read Recipients in at least a dozen states have been told to prepare to 'pick cotton' on slave plantations
-
Australia proposes social media ban before age 16Speed Read Australia proposes social media ban before age 16
-
FTC bans fake online product reviewsSpeed Read The agency will enforce fines of up to $51,744 per violation
-
States sue TikTok over children's mental healthSpeed Read The lawsuit was filed by 13 states and Washington, D.C.
-
Instagram rolls out teen accounts with new limitsSpeed Read After facing pushback over child safety, Meta announced that all users under 18 will have their Instagram accounts modified
-
Meta agrees to $1.4 billion settlement with TexasSpeed Read The parent company of Facebook and Instagram stands accused of using facial identification software without users' permission
-
Threads turns one: where does the Twitter rival stand?In the Spotlight Although Threads is reporting 175 million active monthly users, it has failed to eclipse X as a meaningful cultural force
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
