Instagram and Facebook users will now be able to pay to get their account's blue verification badge, Meta has announced.
Meta Verified will cost $11,99 per month on the web or $14,99 for iPhone users and will be available in Australia and New Zealand from this week.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, said the move will improve security and authenticity in social networking apps.
The move comes after Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, who initially implemented the paid verification system in November 2022.
Meta's paid subscription service won't be available for businesses yet, but any individual will be able to pay for verification.
Blue ticks - have been used as verification tools on high profile accounts to indicate their authenticity.
The subscription is supposed to give paying users a blue tick, increased visibility of their posts, protection from impersonators and easier access to customer service, Meta said in a post on its website.
The change will not affect older verified accounts, but will increase the ability for some smaller users to be verified for a fee.
Meta said usernames on Instagram and Facebook would have to match some form of government-issued ID to grant verification, and users would have to have a profile photo that included their face.
Meta did not say when the new feature would roll out in other countries, although Zuckerberg he said in a post that it will happen "soon".
