Meta is rolling out a new paid verification subscription service called Meta Verified, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in an Instagram update Sunday.
For $11.99 a month on the web and $14.99 a month on iOS, users on Meta’s Instagram and Facebook platforms will be able to submit their government ID and get a blue verification badge. The service will be introduced in Australia and New Zealand this week, and more countries will follow, Zuckerberg said.
“This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” Zuckerberg wrote in the post.
Meta has historically granted verification to notable users like politicians, executives, members of the press and organizations to signal their legitimacy. The company’s new subscription service is similar to Twitter’s revamped service called Twitter Blue, which also grants users a verification badge if they pay a monthly fee.
Twitter launched its updated Twitter Blue subscription service in December after the company’s new owner Elon Musk pulled and delayed the initial launch in November. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October, has said the new verification system will be “the great leveler” and give “power to the people.“
Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.