Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, launched a subscription model for a paid blue tick, as announced by Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta.
The significance of The Blue Tick as explained by Meta- “This shows that we have confirmed that an account is the authentic presence of the creator, public figure, celebrity, or global brand it represents and helps people more easily find the accounts they wish to follow. Our verification team vets all requests thoroughly and bases their review on a number of inputs to determine whether an account is eligible to be verified.” This measure is to provide security from accounts claiming to be yours.
The verification service resembles the one initiated by Elon Musk’s Twitter, set in motion just a few weeks before. The only requirement is a Government Identity Card, and paid users can avail themselves of the services for a starting price of $11.99 (USD) per month on the web and $14.99 (USD) a month on Apple’s iOS system and Android.
“Meta Verified” will not only provide more protection from impersonators and confirm your identity, but also increase the visibility of your account and help you express yourself by providing exclusive features provided the subscribers meet the terms of use and community guidelines. Moreover, the previously verified accounts will not face any modification to their accounts and will remain unchanged.
As the eligibility criteria, the user must be 18+ years of age, have a complete profile, and have a clear image showing their face. However, this model is not accessible to businesses at the moment.
Currently, the services are only available for purchase in Australia and New Zealand, and as mentioned by Mr. Zuckerberg, they will be available “soon” in other countries as well.
Would Meta’s new feature to increase its users’ authenticity prove successful, or would it face a huge backlash from people all around?
We will know more about it soon as its services are up and running in countries across the world.
