Meta launches paid subscription verification in U.S.

Meta Platforms Inc. has launched new paid subscription for user verification on Facebook and Instagram in the U.S., same as Twitter following Elon Musk’s acquisition, Meta announced on Friday.

Meta’s verification service will allow users to get a blue badge when they verify their accounts using a government ID, for $11.99 per month on the web versions of the social media platforms, and $14.99 for iOS and Android.

The service, which had been tested since February, comes after Snapchat and Telegram’s own services, in a way to diversify social media companies’ revenue besides advertising.

Musk’s Twitter, the first to adopt the subscription-based verification system, introduced the Blue subscription service to allow users that are not public figures to verify their accounts.

Twitter Blue’s first month of implementation led to a wave of celebrity, brands and public figures’ impersonations, and made Twitter reintroduce the service with different colored checks for individuals, companies and governments.