Facebook parent company Meta has announced the launch of its subscription service that allows users to add the verified blue check symbol to their Instagram and Facebook account for about $15 per month after verifying their identity.
The C.E.O Mark Zuckerberg stated on Sunday, that the verified tag will help open up a new revenue source for the company. It’s worth noting that the blue tick subscription service was first introduced by Elon Musk at Twitter, and in spite of criticisms, has seemed to be yielding positive results, with over 180,000 twitter users already signed up.
Meta verified as the service is called, will be rolled out first in New Zealand and Australia, beginning from this week. The subscription will be available on the web and Apple’s iOS, at $11.99 and $14.99 respectively. Aside from increasing visibility and audience reach, Meta Verified will also provide security against impersonation attacks and improve access to customer support.
This will be of immense benefit to the company, considering Apple’s clampdown on its Ad business, giving users a bold choice to not share their data with Meta. If everything eventually works as planned and Meta’s users are willing to pay in exchange for tags, it would also ease the legal turmoil of privacy issues the company has fallen into.
What do you think will become of the verified tag following its monetization?