Meta's paid verification program goes live in the US

Meta's paid verification program is available in the US starting today, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Instagram channel. Those who sign up for Meta Verified will get a blue verification badge on Facebook and Instagram, "proactive impersonation protection" and direct access to customer support, Zuckerberg said.

It costs $12 per month via the web and $15 per month if you become a Meta Verified member through iOS or Android to account for those platform's cuts of in-app payments. You'll also get some stars each month (which you can use to tip Facebook creators) and extra stickers for Stories and Reels.

Unlike in Australia and New Zealand, Verified subscribers in the US won't gain increased visibility in some parts of the apps just yet. "We heard feedback that how this piece of the offering worked was causing confusion, so we're taking the time to further explore its value and learn before we consider expanding this component outside Australia and New Zealand," a Meta spokesperson told Engadget. The company says it will look into adding other features to Verified while it continues to test the program.

Meta debuted the program in Australia and New Zealand last month. Verified differs from Twitter Blue, through which folks can pay for a blue check mark and other perks, as it requires Instagram and Facebook users to provide Meta with a piece of government ID that matches the name and photo on their account. They'll need to meet some other eligibility requirements, such as being 18 or older and having two-factor authentication enabled.

Meta Verified subscribers can't change their profile name or photo, username or date of birth unless they're willing to go through the verification process again. Any notable Instagram or Facebook account that was previously verified will keep their blue check.

Update 3/17 12:20PM ET: Added some clarification from Meta.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metas-paid-verification-program-goes-live-in-the-us-152337732.html?src=rss