- Meta Inc. introduced premium verification services for its Facebook and Instagram users to keep them away from impersonation
- The company Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg rolled out the Meta verified services in the UK in May 2023
- Zuckerberg said the badge would cost users KSh 1,500 per monthly subscription, protecting them from impersonation
Facebook and Instagram users across the globe will soon start paying for the verification badge.
This followed Meta’s successful rollout of the premium service in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States in February and March 2023, respectively.
Meta verified
The company introduced the service in the United Kingdom in May 2023, requiring subscribers to pay a monthly fee of $11.99 (KSh 1649), Sky News reported.
This will be the fee for users on the web, while those using mobile phones will be required to pay $14.99 (KSh 2,061) per month.
Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg noted that the premium verification will protect customers from impersonation, giving them direct support.
“You can get a badge, proactive impersonation protection and direct access to customer support,” said Zuckerberg, as quoted by TechCrunch.
Features of Meta verified
Zuckerberg said subscribers of the premium service should be above 18.
Subscribers must present a government-issued photo ID and use two-factor authentication.
Once verified, you will not change the profile name, photo, username or date of birth.
Meta Verified comes with exclusive stickers on Facebook and Instagram Stories and Facebook Reels, along with 100 Stars a month on Facebook to show support for content creators.
Twitter Blue
Meta followed Elon Musk’s Twitter changes that introduced the Twitter Blue premium subscription.
Musk instituted changes in November 2022 after acquiring the social media platform for KSh 5.1 trillion.
The tech entrepreneur urged customers to subscribe to the service, granting them features like editing, posting long videos, and protection from fake accounts.
The new legacy programme costs subscribers $8 (KSh 1,083) per month or $84 (KSh 11,369) annually.
Musk lash out at Zuckerberg’s WhatsApp over privacy issues
In May 2023, Musk took a swipe at Facebook’s sister platform WhatsApp over privacy infringement.
The Meta-owned app user accused the platform of recording him secretly while asleep between 4:20 am and 6:53 am.
WhatsApp said the issue could be due to a bug on Android, but Twitter users could not buy the response saying most apps secretly record users’ data.
