Meta has launched its paid verification program, Meta Verified, in the U.K. at £9.99 per month each for Instagram and Facebook. The subscription is aimed at creators and comes with perks like proactive impersonation protection and access to customer support along with a blue badge for verification.
The company first launched the subscription plan for users in Australia and New Zealand in February. In March, Meta Verified became available for U.S.-based users.
Meta announced its verified program after Elon Musk-owned Twitter re-launched its subscription plan called Twitter Blue offering paid verification.
As social media consultant Matt Navarra pointed out, the company posted the announcement on the Meta Creators Community UK group. It said that the program has been built on feedback from emerging creators.
Notably, users have to pay separately for Instagram and Facebook verification. Users paying for the plan have to be at least 18 years old and must turn on the two-factor verification and submit a government ID for identity verification.
Additionally, Meta requires subscribers to have a display name matching the government ID. This decision has come under scrutiny from sex workers, trans creators and other privacy advocates for revealing certain people’s identities who might not want to disclose their real names for their own security.
Currently, Meta’s rules say that subscribers can’t change their usernames, names and profile photos. However, the company said it was working on tools and methods to allow that.
Unlike Twitter, Meta doesn’t plan to remove legacy verification that was awarded to notable accounts. However, there is no visual differentiation between a legacy verification badge and the new subscription verification badge for Meta Verified.