Meta announces Meta Verified, offering a blue badge, impersonation protection, and customer support for $12 per month on the web or $15 per month on iOS

Good morning and new product announcement: this week we're starting to roll out Meta Verified — a subscription service that lets …

Facebook 2023-02-20 Mark Zuckerberg

Context & Ripple Effects

Meta is turning account verification from a platform feature into a paid service bundle, with the web-to-iOS price gap making distribution channel part of the offer’s economics. Related coverage shows the rollout later reaching the US across web, iOS, and Android, while Meta subsequently extended Meta Verified to business pages in select markets.

The immediate product is therefore an early consumer version of a broader paid identity-and-support layer across Facebook and Instagram, rather than a badge-only change.

First-order effects

Users who want the badge, proactive impersonation protection, and direct support now face a recurring $12 web or $15 iOS charge; Meta gains a direct subscription relationship with them.
Meta must deliver verification, anti-impersonation, and support as ongoing service obligations, not merely assign an account marker.

Second-order effects

The lower web price gives Meta an incentive to steer sign-ups away from iOS, while iOS subscribers pay more for the same stated bundle.
The consumer rollout establishes a product and pricing model that Meta later applied to organizations through its business-page verification expansion, broadening the potential paying base beyond individual accounts.

Third-order effects

If Meta continues to attach protection and support to paid verification, account trust becomes a tiered platform service rather than a uniform feature for all users.
The later business expansion indicates a broader shift toward monetizing identity, support, and account-management services alongside advertising.

The trend: Social platforms are packaging verification and account protection into recurring subscriptions for both individuals and businesses.

Discussion

@danyork@mastodon.social Dan York on mastodon
And so Meta steps further down the “Enshittification"[1] death cycle to abuse its existing business customers who it has locked in.. in an attempt to extract more revenue... https://www.nytimes.com/... Tip @Techmeme …
@hunterwalk@mastodon.cloud @hunterwalk@mastodon.cloud on mastodon
@Techmeme my assumption is this is priced for B2B/expensing, not for average consumer.
@danyork@mastodon.social Dan York on mastodon
So ... Mark Zuckerberg thinks Elon Musk's plan for verification is a GOOD idea?? — For $12 or $15 / month, you'll “get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support.” …
@dsilverman@mastodon.social Dwight Silverman on mastodon
Paid verification spreads to Meta's Facebook and Instagram, but includes actual impersonation protection and access to real customer support, something rare in social media. But worth $13, $15/mo. for iOS? …
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org Lauren Weinstein on mastodon
Desperate Meta plans to sell blue badges in imitation of Musk's failures // Meta will also sell blue badge on Instagram and Facebook - https://techcrunch.com/...
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on x
Instagram is launching its own PAID Twitter Blue-style subscription! ‘Meta Verified’ membership perks: - Verified badge ✅ - Impersonation monitoring - Customer support - Prioritisation in comments - Recommendations in IG Explore page + Reels - Exclusive stickers for IG stories ht…
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
12 bucks a month to be verified on Facebook... I wonder if people will keep that same Twitter Blue outrage energy 😅 https://twitter.com/...
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
Inevitable
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
as twitter goes through diff versions of what it's subscription service looks like, meta rolls out its own verified program... https://twitter.com/...
@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
More info here. One differentiator between this and Twitter Blue is that you need to verify your identity with an actual government ID. But a lot of similarities for sure. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@qwongsj Queenie Wong on x
Meta is the latest social network to launch a subscription service. Social media companies have said that serving ads allow them to offer their services for free. Now they want users to provide even more personal info and pay a subscription fee for certain features. 🤑 https://twi…
@jacksongosnell Jackson Gosnell on x
More clarity on “Meta Verified” subscription service. https://twitter.com/...
@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
New: Meta is launching a subscription service called “Meta Verified” for Facebook/Instagram. It costs $11.99/month ($14.99 on the iOS app) and features include: * verification badge * better account support * “increased visibility and reach”
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
I really wish Meta would not do product announcements in random, weird, unpredictably disappearing, unlinkable places behind a registration wall. Can they at least get a Medium account like a normal company? https://twitter.com/...
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on x
Meta Verified subscriptions will come with 100 FREE Stars per month to spend on Facebook to show your support for other creators
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on x
I notice there's no mention of an ‘ad-free’ or ‘less ads’ perk for Meta Verified subscribers Elon Musk has made a lot of noise about giving Twitter Blue subscribers a ‘half the ads’ benefit.
@sinanaral Sinan Aral on x
As Meta starts selling blue badges on Instagram and Facebook... It's clear that “Identity cues” and “Identity signals” are being firmly rooted as products in the future of social media... [1/2] https://techcrunch.com/...
@pkafka Peter Kafka on x
Other big differences: *Facebook/IG badges aren't a culture war flashpoint *CEO isn't demonizing existing badge holders *CEO runs business where (some) creators make money and might have business reason to pay for more services. https://twitter.com/...
@esqueer_ Alejandra Caraballo on x
The worst thing about the tech industry is how much they all copy really stupid ideas and leave you with no meaningful choice. Absolutely dumb idea to turn social media into a subscription service. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@chrismessina @chrismessina on x
Twitter Blue by @Meta is not the pivot from the metaverse I had on my bingo card for 2023. https://www.facebook.com/...
@robleathern Rob Leathern on x
Thinking Meta launched this suddenly after seeing Twitter do something similar (Twitter's attempt didn't have any actual ID verification) is fanciful; the company has been working on personal/biz verification for years (my team worked on this for ads '18-20 while I was there)../2…
@richlightshed @richlightshed on x
@benedictevans I think the launch of broadcast channels is a new growth hack to get you back into Instagram more often since it shows message waiting icon
@gilgamesh_mpreg @gilgamesh_mpreg on x
look what elon started 😭 https://twitter.com/...
@wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x
If Meta Verified is expanded to AR glasses, we will be able to tell whether someone is who they are https://twitter.com/...
@ow Owen Williams on x
“You can pay to prove it's really you and you get the privilege of giving Facebook your government ID” is one heck of a sell for a subscription service 😂 https://twitter.com/...
@martinsfp @martinsfp on x
Did @MattNavarra's tweet earlier force Meta PR to announce this on a Sunday? Strange day to announce it otherwise. https://twitter.com/...
@dimensionmedia David Bisset on x
So @tumblr did this as a joke and offered TWO checkmarks. It works... as a joke. Meanwhile Meta says in a “hold my beer” tone this. Wondering if true vertification is dead on social at this point (outside of Mastodon's method). https://twitter.com/...
@timothybucksf Timothy Buck on x
@benedictevans Ya, whenever Zuck announces things. The blog post goes up a couple hours later and links back to his announcement. https://twitter.com/...
@ishanagarwal24 Ishan Agarwal on x
‘Meta Verified’ — basically Twitter Blue for Instagram! Benefits ✨ -Verified badge -Customer support for common issues -Impersonation monitoring -Prioritisation for Verified in comments -Recommendations in the Explore page & reels -Exclusive stickers in Stories 💲?? 📆 Soon https:/…
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
I understand paying for a verification badge but “extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you” being an extra charge is absurd. Making sure your users aren't impersonated and preventing misinformation shouldn't cost extra. https://twitter.com/...
@wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x
["This image requires a facebook gold account"]
@helenkennedy Helen Kennedy on x
Because it's working so well over here? https://twitter.com/...
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on x
The biggest part of this news at Meta (and Twitter) isn't the “verified” checkmark, it's the “increased visibility and reach” https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@hankgreen Hank Green on x
One problem with Facebook and Twitter wanting me to pay for them is that I really can't imagine any two guys who need my money less.
@ryp__ Robert Young Pelton on x
imagine a company built on your work product, selling you nothing, providing you nothing, guaranteeing you nothing but still making billions. https://techcrunch.com/...
@jeffjarvis Jeff Jarvis on x
Facebook wants to charge $12-15 to verify identity & offer customer support. I'd think those functions should be core to the service, not premium. Also not good to follow in Musk's footsteps. Should chose a color other than blue, which has Musk cooties. https://www.facebook.com/.…
@smashdawg Jeremy Kaplan on x
Srsly @facebook / @Meta, what the actual fuck? Who would pay $12/month for this? And it doesn't even get rid of ads? https://www.theverge.com/...
@shannon_liao Shannon Liao on x
meta is now testing if elon musk's twitter monetization strategy can work for fb and insta. and it's starting at a price point that's lower than elon's initial ask and higher than what twitter blue costs now https://twitter.com/...
@fbbagholder @fbbagholder on x
This type of superficial status gain is going to be a smash hit on IG. It's going to be much more popular than on twitter I just wonder what this means in the social ecosystem. This creates a 2nd-class citizen group that will receive fewer features Not sustainable long term imo h…
@timothybucksf Timothy Buck on x
@benedictevans Mark does announce some things on his own platforms first. Which... you know... makes sense. But there is always a newsroom post: https://about.fb.com/...
@maxkennerly Max Kennerly on x
As @doctorow calls it, the “enshittification” life cycle continues. https://twitter.com/...
@frediculous @frediculous on x
Big Tech companies just all started making broke desperation moves out of nowhere. They havent been looking so bulletproof lately https://twitter.com/...
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on x
Instagram Working on Paid Subscription Plan Called ‘Meta Verified’ Perks include blue check verification, customer support, exclusive story stickers, and content boosted in recommendations on Explore page https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@metanewsroom @metanewsroom on x
To help creators establish their presence, Mark Zuckerberg just announced that we'll begin testing Meta Verified, a subscription bundle that includes account verification and access to support and increased visibility. https://about.fb.com/...
@eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x
Resurfacing this tweet in light of today's news from Meta. Obviously paid verification is not a hard paywall; if it materially impacts content distribution, it could be classified as a soft paywall. https://twitter.com/...
@firt Maximiliano Firtman on x
This tool is too obscure within Apple OSs. If you are not a heavy user, I'm not sure you know it exists, what to do with it, or how to enable it. https://twitter.com/...
@evafoxu @evafoxu on x
[Image: Mark Zuckerberg as Mr. Bean, copying Elon Musk's exam]
@iamjameelg Jameel Gbajabiamila on x
Facebook is about to destroy Twitter in terms of number of paying verified users. Especially because Meta already has the infrastructure in place to pull this off. https://twitter.com/...
@alex193a Alessandro Paluzzi on x
It seems to be official now, #Instagram is working on a subscription plan which includes the blue badge 👀 This is the official Help Centre page: https://help.instagram.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@edzitron Ed Zitron on x
When you grow a company off a “free” product you are beholden to online ads, and online advertisers, and consumer behaviour. They're trying ideas now that are desperate and suggest that social media as a biz is dying. Have fun on the big drop Mark
@jordanuhl @jordanuhl on x
Facebook really will copy anything https://twitter.com/...
@borrowed_ideas @borrowed_ideas on x
Twitter Blue has ~262k users. If we assume Meta will have 10x that and assume ~80% incremental margin (optimistic) , it is ~1% of Meta's LTM EBIT. Part of me thinks the only reason to announce this is to keep highlighting market power of iOS, and accustom users to *pay* for it. h…
@ow @ow on x
feels weird for these big social media companies to absolve themselves of doing the work of verifying people's identities by making YOU pay for the privilege
@mattbinder Matt Binder on x
Meta sees Twitter's failing Twitter Blue idea and thinks “we should do that too” https://twitter.com/...
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on x
UPDATE: Meta Verified will start at $11.99 per month on the web / $14.99 on iOS Rolling out in Australia and New Zealand first Mark Zuckerberg just confirmed info via his new Instagram Channel https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@nikitabier Nikita Bier on x
You'd learn more about consumer product design by spending an afternoon in a casino than you would working at Facebook for a year.
@rjcc Richard Lawler on x
On the one hand, it's way more likely that people would pay on IG than Twitter, but on the other hand, people don't want to pay that for Netflix. Now you think they'll pay it to be the top reply on Instagram https://twitter.com/...
@lorakolodny Lora Kolodny on x
So expensive I laughed out loud. Also a tacit admission of how piss poor Meta's security & customer service is now and will remain for those not paying up. https://twitter.com/...
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
@TimothyBuckSF it wasn't there when I looked earlier
@karstenw Karsten Weide on x
@KurtWagner8 The ideal outcome for @Apple. Not only did their deprecation of #IDFA severely damage @Meta's ad biz. Not only did it drive part of that ad spend to Apple. It's also forcing Meta to make up losses via subscription fees on their enemy's platform, of which the enemy ge…
@yashar @yashar on x
Mark Zuckerberg just announced that Meta is launching “Meta Verified.” For a monthly subscription fee, and a government ID, you can get your Meta accounts (Facebook, Instagram) verified. The key difference between this and Twitter Blue is the requirement of a government ID. https…
@sriramk Sriram Krishnan on x
Think @elonmusk basically ended the old world of verification and badges online forever. https://www.bbc.com/...
@timothybucksf Timothy Buck on x
@benedictevans I mean... it's not at all weird to announce first to people who follow him on his own services. It was posted to his Facebook, his Broadcast Channel, and his Instagram Stories. Then the blog post went up. If you want the info first follow him ¯\ _(ツ)_/¯ pretty simp…
@joecarlsonshow Joseph Carlson on x
To state this plainly: Social media companies are now directly benefiting from scammers and impersonators on their platforms. They're extorting creators into paying for basic platform security features (like verification) otherwise their followers are subjected to scammers. https…
@khandelw13sagar Sagar Khandelwal on x
Mark Zuckerberg bringing the same feature as Elon Musk did to @Twitter - getting verified through subscribing at some cost; Zuck introduces Meta Verified. What actually happening now is simple: Destroyed all the agencies who use to work to generate PR to help verified accounts. h…
@ebakerwhite Emily Baker-White on x
Twitter: launches paid verification with increased reach for paid users, which instantly becomes an integrity nightmare & doesn't even make money. Meta: ooh us too!! 🙃 This will just speed up FB and IG's degradation. Paid reach = more (opaque) advertising for the rest of us. http…
@fbbagholder @fbbagholder on x
I hate this. @mosseri Meta should democratize their products instead of alienating 95% of their non-paying consumers. This doesn't seem like long-term thinking by Zuck. https://twitter.com/...
@sriramk Sriram Krishnan on x
Also a lot of FAANG employees secretly relieved they don't have to field requests to be verified anymore.
@saralivingston Sara Livingston on x
@sarahfrier I think for content creators it's been pay-to-play on FB specifically for a while now. Going back to around 2013ish when organic reach fell off and only way to get views was to boost posts (aka paid ads).
@maxfromquebec Maxance Vincent on x
Zuck: Can I copy your homework? Elon: Yeah, just change it up a bit so it doesn't look like you copied. Zuck: Sure thing https://twitter.com/...
@yaboyroshi @yaboyroshi on x
The new standard is here 😭 https://twitter.com/...
@iamjameelg Jameel Gbajabiamila on x
Smart. This fixes all the math problems we had back in the day. Trading ad revenue for subscription fees is not a winning monetization model yet. https://twitter.com/...
@autismcapital @autismcapital on x
Facebook/Instagram blue checkmark verification is like they found a way to NFT scam without even needing to make multiple JPEGs.
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
@TimothyBuckSF It's exasperating. You've announced something, but you refused to tell me. I have to guess what random place it might be hidden. Could it be in Mark's foozles, or is it the toot feature, or perhaps it's in that Squircling thing? Maybe in the Zine box, or the commen…
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
@TimothyBuckSF I don't need to use Gmail or Android to see new Google product announcements. You can watch an Apple event in Chrome on a PC and they don't limit their press release to Apple News. But you want me to use my personal IG to follow a company CEO so I can see a press r…
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on x
@saralivingston Yes but there's a difference between paid ads, which are transparent to the audience, and algorithmically boosted content because the user has subscribed to this.
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on x
Weird for Meta to announce such a big thing on a random Sunday morning. I notice the also pulled the Instagram Help page I shared in my tweet Then hours later, Zuckerberg is making an official announcement about it. All feels a bit unplanned and last minute by meta comms
@sriramk Sriram Krishnan on x
Fwiw : I hate the old verification system. Endless favor trading / corruption / people getting some random press piece written just to get verified / unhappy customers and uneven implementation. This is so much better and cleaner.
@paultassi Paul Tassi on x
Mark Zuckerberg apparently not embarrassed enough by spending $50 billion on a metaverse no one wants so now he's copying Elon's Twitter Blue https://twitter.com/...
@m4nl5r Martin Lechner on x
Wait... actually providing value for the paying folks? With real id checks? With additional account security? With support access? That's all things people mentioned that they sincerely wanted... https://twitter.com/...
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on x
For as long as there have been professional creators trying to get seen online and beat the algorithm, the advice has been to make better content (or whatever the company is pushing — Reels lately.) Now it's going to be more pay to play.
@wagatwe @wagatwe on x
THIS IS SO EXPENSIVE!? https://www.theverge.com/...
@cookietanukiart @cookietanukiart on x
elon musk mark zuckerberg 🤝 making the worst fucking business decisions possible https://twitter.com/...
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on x
Eligibility requirements for a Meta Verified subscription - Not available for biz profiles - Must be 18+ years old - Must have complete profile with profile pic showing your face - Must meet minimum activity requirements - Must validate government-issued ID https://twitter.com/..…
@joecarlsonshow Joseph Carlson on x
How is this not a perverse incentive? Social media has now figured out that they do not need to “solve” scammers/impersonators, rather they can offload the problem to their users and monetize it directly. Now, the more scammers they have the better for them.
@timothybucksf Timothy Buck on x
@benedictevans Sounds like you just want to follow the blog. That's fine by me! Have a lovely weekend.
@nkulw Noah Kulwin on x
Cool so we're just redoing the AOL thing where they made millions off of old people who no longer used their service but couldn't figure out how/didn't know they could cancel https://twitter.com/...
@moviehooligan David C Bell on x
It's almost as if we allowed the internet to be consolidated by a handful of corporations that systemically pushed out anyone's ability to thrive independently and are now acting out a feudalist system https://www.theverge.com/...
@rustybrick Barry Schwartz on x
Blue checks for $ everywhere now https://twitter.com/...
@goldman Jason Goldman on x
Hate handing it to Zuck under any circumstances but at least the Meta Verified program offers features that creators will prob value and actually is verification. Continue to believe you can sell premium services if truly valuable and not rolled out in the dumbest way possible.
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on x
What does this mean for everyday people? Social media isn't really for keeping up with your friends and family anymore. It's for being entertained by professional content creators. Get your good friends a group chat if you haven't already.
@om @om on x
So @elonmusk is now setting the strategy for entire “tech” sector. Even the Master CopyCat (aka Mark Zuckerberg) is launching “paid” service for Meta Verified. Elon made it okay for folks to charge for thing. That said, Zuck should be paying people to train his shitty algorithms
@edzitron Ed Zitron on x
This badge is going to make them 40000% more than the metaverse https://twitter.com/...
@seamusblackley Seamus Blackley on x
Stupid is a virus that spreads to vulnerable hosts. https://www.bbc.com/...
@edzitron Ed Zitron on x
I think the instagram verification suggests that social networks are in serious trouble as far as revenue goes. Targeting is becoming harder to do technologically/legally. They're desperate to find new sources. The result will be a small bump in rev and pissed off customers
@scalzi John Scalzi on x
Not gonna pay for verification on Facebook or Instagram either, my dudes (current verifieds will keep their checks “for now"). But at least these versions will require actual paperwork to verify identity, and are not merely “you paid money” like Twitter. https://www.nytimes.com/.…
@thepostsoffice Erin Postsoffice on x
the continuous growth economy is incompatible with social media platforms https://twitter.com/...
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
Meta, time to give credit where credit is... blue https://twitter.com/...
@nickmduffy Nick Duffy on x
@hankgreen The value proposition is just so odd. Like, I happily pay for YouTube Premium for marginally more than Twitter Blue would cost bc it saves me hours of watching ads a month and *also* doubles as music streaming. What do Twitter/FB even offer beyond less broken apps?

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