Meta launches paid verification system for Canadian users

Meta, the owner of Face‐ book and Instagram, is launching a test of a new verification system in Canada, one that costs up to $19.99 a month for a ver‐ sion of the app that comes with enhanced features.

The company says that starting now, it is testing out what it calls a "subscription bundle" for both apps that not only verifies a user's iden‐ tity via government ID, it also unlocks various support ser‐ vices for creators.

Anyone with an Instagram or Facebook account is eligi‐ ble to sign up, but they must by over 18 and businesses are exempt. The app-based ver‐ sion will cost $19.99 a month, while a web-based version will cost slightly less, at $15.99.

Canada is just the latest country to be added to the service, as it was launched in Australia and New Zealand in February, followed by the U.S. in March and U.K. users earlier this month.

In addition to added pro‐ tection from impersonation, more support services and other frills, anyone signing up for the service will get a "veri‐ fied" badge on their profile.

Similar to Twitter changes

That mark of distinction is reminiscent of the blue "checkmark" badge that Twit‐ ter has long employed. Before it was bought by Elon Musk, Twitter would dole out blue checkmarks to verify the au‐ thenticity of certain accounts, although the exact require‐ ments were always nebulous.

WATCH | How will hav‐ ing to pay to be verified on social media affect you?

Last month, Musk made good on his threat to start charging for the service, re‐ moving the status from socalled "legacy" accounts that didn't agree to pay $8 US for verification, which comes with various perks above and be‐ yond what the free version of‐

fers.

Similar to Twitter, Meta al‐ ready verifies certain highprofile users or organizations, and the new service is not ex‐ pected to bring any immedi‐ ate changes to accounts that are already verified that way.

But that may change.

"Long term, we want to build a subscription offering that's valuable to paid sub‐ scribers, including creators and businesses," Meta said. "As part of this vision, we are evolving the meaning of veri‐ fied accounts on our apps so we can expand access to veri‐ fication and more people can trust the accounts they inter‐ act with are authentic."

While the majority of Meta's customers will likely balk at the prospect of paying for a service they have long used for free, some likely will see the appeal.

Bloomberg Intelligence an‐ alyst Mandeep Singh says it could bring in up to $3 billion a year in subscription revenue "assuming a mid- to high-sin‐ gle digit adoption by its daily active user base of creators and influencers across its family of apps, especially In‐ stagram."

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