Mark Zuckerberg has announced that Meta has launched a paid verification service “Meta Verified” for Facebook and Instagram accounts.
This subscription product follows in the footsteps of Twitter who rolled out Twitter Blue soon after the Elon Musk takeover.
What Is Meta Verified?
Meta Verified will be a subscription service designed to provide increased protection for your account in exchange for you providing proof of identity and monthly payment.
On first inspection, it looks like a form of paid insurance to protect your accounts and restore them rapidly if you should fall prey to impersonation or cybercrime.
The service which is being rolled out initially in Australia and New Zealand before the rest of the world, will cost around £10 per month.
To get access, users must submit a government-issued ID and have their face in their profile picture.
Whilst paying to be verified on Facebook and Instagram may seem irritating, how likely you are to bite the bullet and sign up will depend on your reliance on Meta products such as Facebook and Instagram to support your business.
Benefits of Meta Paid Verification
The two main reported benefits of being “Meta Verified” are increased protection from impersonation and access to customer support.
Better Access to Support
Customer service is a historical weakness of social media platforms; with billions of users, it is nearly impossible to provide personalised support.
The core concept of the Meta paid verification service appears to be improved access to support from Meta.
Once an individual is verified, they will in theory have access to support teams that can help with any issues related to the security of their account.
Paid verification could include help with account suspensions, security concerns, and other technical issues. Access to this support level could be invaluable for businesses, especially in times of crisis.
Reduced Risk of Losing Access to Business Pages
One of the most significant risks businesses face is losing access to their social media pages due to suspension or hacking of critical individuals who access the account.
Losing access can be devastating. It can result in a loss of customers and damage to your brand’s reputation. The theory would be that businesses can reduce this risk by proving their identity and authenticity through a paid verification service.
This will make it harder for cybercriminals to take over their pages, and in the event of a suspension, it will be easier to regain access to the account.
It still needs to be determined whether there will be other benefits to paid verification, such as increased visibility or additional functionality, both of which Twitter included in it’s subscription product.
The specifics of the service and how it will work across a business are also yet to be confirmed.
Key questions include
- What level of support will be provided?
- Will this include business pages?
- Will all employees with page access require verification to get full protection?
Meta Has A Huge Security Problem
One of the main frustrations for business owners is how insecure they feel on Meta.
We regularly get desperate enquiries from businesses that have had their Instagram or Facebook accounts hacked.
Whilst paid verification is for individuals rather than businesses, many problems that lead to restricted access to your business or advertising link to a personal account issue.
There is currently very little recourse to get access restored. Even when successful it can take months and severely impact the business.
This paid verification may act as insurance against these problems and offer expedited resolution when they occur.
These ideally should be offered for free; however, if you rely on Facebook or Instagram for your business, paid verification may be a price worth paying.