United States: Facebook users and Instagram will soon have to pay to be verified on the social media platforms as Meta follows rival platform Twitter.

The service will launch in Australia and New Zealand later this week, according to Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, who made the announcement in a Facebook post. According to the company, a monthly subscription would cost $11.9 on the web or $14.99 on iOS and Android (or $19.99 on the web or $24.99 on iOS and Android in Australia).

According to Mr. Zuckerberg, the service will also provide “extra impersonation protection,” improved reach for verified users, and direct access to customer care in addition to the blue badge. To avoid the embarrassment of accounts impersonating people and brands, as happened when Twitter first put out its paid verification service, Meta said it would rely on government ID credentials to authenticate the identity of verified accounts.

Users must be at least 18 years old, and accounts must have a history of posting. Businesses would not be able to use the service at this time, Meta remarked. As per the company, the improved exposure of postings from verified users “depend on a subscriber’s existing audience size and the topic of their posts.” Smaller audiences might have a greater impact.

The company cited that, “exclusive stickers” would also be available on Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook reel stories. In November 2022, Meta made 11,000 personnel reductions, or 13 percent of its workforce, as a result of declining ad revenues and the general economic crisis. Prior to recovery, the company’s share price dropped by more than 70 percent in 2022, and in July 2022 it reported its first-ever sales decline.

WORLD ROUNDUP: Turkey Earthquake: Government to end rescue operations