Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, launched a paid subscription service in the US on Friday, allowing users on both platforms to pay for verification.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement on his “Meta Channel,” one of the latest features the company has rolled out for developers to “directly reach their audiences and build deeper connections with their communities,” the company said.
Meta Verified is only available for personal accounts and costs $14.99 per month when purchased on an iOS or Android device and $11.99 per month when purchased on the web.
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“Meta Verified launches today in the US,” Zuckerberg said on his Meta Channel. “You can get a badge, proactive identity protection, and direct access to customer support.”
Zuckerberg’s decision to launch a subscription service for the social media platform comes after Elon Musk-owned Twitter restarted its own subscription service, Twitter Blue, last December after an earlier attempt to launch it failed.
As of now, the company is making the service available to users in the US, Australia and New Zealand. However, people can join a waitlist to be notified when it becomes available in their area.
Users who currently have verified badges can also apply for the Meta Verified subscription, but the company does not plan to make any changes to those who have already been verified based on previous requirements.
The launch of the service comes as Meta seeks to cut costs and improve financial performance after two rounds of layoffs, the most recent of which took place this week and saw the company lay off about 10,000 employees. About 11,000 meta-workers were also laid off last November.
Tre’Vaughn Howard
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