Facebook and Instagram have announced the ability for users to pay for a blue tick verification, like the social media platform Twitter.
The announcement was made their company, Meta, on Sunday.
According to the details, the paid verification blue tick will cost $11.99 a month on web, or $14.99 per month on iPhone.
Furthermore, Meta announced that paid verification will be made available in New Zealand and Australia this week.
The move comes shortly Elon Musk implemented a similar paid verification system on Twitter shortly after buying the platform last year.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, said that paid verification on Facebook and Instagram will help to improve security and authenticity on both social media platforms.
However, the service is not yet available for businesses, but any individual can pay to get blue tick verification for their profile or page.
The subscription service that takes notes from Twitter, will give users a paid users a verified blue tick, which has been used as a marker for high-profile accounts to signify their authenticity.
Apart from the blue badge, the paid users will have increased visibility of their posts, protection from impersonators and easier access to customer service.
However, the social media platforms won’t provide a verification to just anyone without proper identification, a mistake made by Twitter with the initial launch of this feature.
Twitter’s paid verification service was halted last year after people started impersonating brands and high-profile individuals after paying for a blue tick on the platform.
Meta confirmed that Facebook and Instagram usernames will have to match the government issued ID along with a proper profile picture that includes their face in order to get verified.
However, Meta has not specified when the feature will be rolled out globally, but it did say that it will be made available in New Zealand and Australia this week.
Read more: Twitter Will Share Ad Revenue With Twitter Blue Verified Creators.
