Meta's Twitter Blue-Style subscription service for Facebook and Instagram

Delhi : Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook-parent Meta, announced the launch of a subscription service called Meta Verified on Sunday. Users will be able to add the coveted blue check mark to their Instagram and Facebook accounts by verifying their identity for up to $15 per month, tapping a new revenue stream that has had mixed results for smaller rival Twitter.

The subscription service costs $11.99 a month on the web or $14.99 on Apple's iOS, and it will first launch in New Zealand and Australia this week. (The business did not specify a timeframe for when it intends to make the service accessible for purchase through its Android apps.) By using their official ID cards, users will be able to confirm their identity using Meta.

As well as "greater exposure and reach," "better protection against impersonation threats," and "direct access to customer assistance," the firm claimed that the subscription service would provide.

According to Zuckerberg in a Facebook post, Meta Verified "is about boosting authenticity and security across our services." He stated that "additional countries shortly" would be added to the subscription service list without providing a timeframe. We've enquired further about Meta, and when we hear back, we'll update this report.

Following Apple's decision to implement strict privacy changes on iOS that limit the social firm's ability to track users' internet activities, Meta's revenues have suffered in recent years. For more than 15 years since its founding, Meta has chosen not to charge its customers for the majority of its services. According to the Zuckerberg-led corporation, which derives almost all of its revenue from advertising, Apple's decision will cost the business more than $10 billion in lost advertising revenue by 2022.

"In the long run, we want to create a subscription service that benefits creators, companies, and our community as a whole. In order to broaden access to verification and give more users confidence that the accounts they interact with are real, we are altering the meaning of the verified badge as part of this objective, wrote Meta in a blog post.

Social networking companies are increasingly using subscription services.

The announcement on Sunday comes after social media platform Snap introduced its own subscription service last year, through which it has already turned over a million users into paying customers, and Elon Musk redesigned Twitter Blue, the company's subscription service, to offer a variety of new features, including the blue check mark. In recent months, Twitter has expanded Twitter Blue to more than a dozen regions, including India and Indonesia.  According to The Information, just roughly 180,000 accounts have joined up for Twitter Blue as of mid-January.

Musk, an outspoken opponent of Facebook services, hopes to make Twitter Blue a significant source of revenue for Twitter, which he paid $44 billion to acquire last year.

One of the most wanted features on social media platforms for a long time has been the blue checkmark. Before, only public individuals like politicians, actors, musicians, athletes, and journalists were allowed to use it.

Musk has slammed the notion, contending that the feature ought to be accessible to anyone. He has previously said that anybody who obtained the blue tick mark without purchasing a Twitter Blue subscription will eventually lose it.

"Accounts on Instagram and Facebook that are already verified based on prior conditions, including authenticity and notability," stated Meta, "will not alter as we test and learn.

The negative market reaction to Meta's ambitious metaverse ambition has left the company reeling even though its shares have recently increased. The business, which has slashed approximately 11,000 jobs over the last two months, has promised to spend less on its plans for the metaverse. Another round of layoffs is apparently planned very soon.

Religion has the drawback of requiring a leap of faith. belief in something you might never be able to establish incontrovertibly. And there will be times when your faith will be put to the test, when you'll start to doubt everything you've previously taken for granted. Despite the drama, 2022 was a difficult year for supporters of the House of Zuck, with many being driven to the breaking point or giving up, which led to the capitulation we seen last quarter.

However, it seems like Meta has developed its own religion centred around productivity and profitability, and investors now discover a leaner, sharper company in front of them.

Following Apple's decision to implement strict privacy changes on iOS that limit the social firm's ability to track users' internet activities, Meta's revenues have suffered in recent years. For more than 15 years since its founding, Meta has chosen not to charge its customers for the majority of its services. According to the Zuckerberg-led corporation, which derives almost all of its revenue from advertising, Apple's decision will cost the business more than $10 billion in lost advertising revenue by 2022.

"In the long run, we want to create a subscription service that benefits creators, companies, and our community as a whole.