Major change for Facebook and Instagram that will see users charged for new feature

FACEBOOK and Instagram are handing out perks to paying customers under a new subscription model.

The subscription, called Meta Verified, will cost $11.99 (£9.96) a month on web or $14.99 (£12.45) for iPhone users.

AP:Associated Press

It includes a blue tick, which signals that a profile is being operated legitimately by who the account says it is.

Paying users will also gain increased visibility of their posts, easier access to customer service and have better protection against impersonators.

It is likely to be popular among the apps’ so-called influencers – people who have large followings and are at greater risk of being impersonated because of their notoriety.

Currently, the package is only available to those in Australia and New Zealand.

But parent company Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram as well as WhatsApp, is likely to roll it out across other countries.

Meta, however, has not announced any plan to bring the subscription model to WhatsApp.

“This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement last night.

Meta told the BBC that the new model would not affect previously verified accounts.

However, there will still be a boost to visibility for the users who are forking out the monthly fee.

The move comes just days after Twitter boss Elon Musk began charging users to use its two-factor authentication feature.

It is a new move to entice users to pay for Musk’s Twitter Blue plan, which charges users for a blue verification tick.

The blue tick was previously free before Musk’s $44billion takeover of the app.

Unlike Meta, Musk appears adamant to revoke all verification ticks and perks from users who don’t pay, but were given it for free under the old model.

How do I sign up to Meta Verified?

To become Meta Verified, users need to be at least 18-years-old.

Users must also submit a form of identification, such as a passport or driving license.

The Facebook and Instagram profile must match the name and photo on the given ID.

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