Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has expanded its Verified program to India after successfully testing it in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
The program aims to diversify Meta's revenue streams beyond traditional digital advertising, which suffered a blow in 2022 due to the global economic downturn and Apple's iOS privacy policy changes.
Initially, the program was set to be offered at higher monthly fees, but Meta reduced the prices to Rs 699 per month on Android and iOS, and Rs 599 on the web. The expansion into India comes as Meta opens up its waitlist for Verified, following Twitter's launch of its subscription service called 'Blue.'
Meta Verified offers several features to users, including a verified badge, proactive account protection, and access to account support. The verification process requires users to provide a government ID and is applicable to both Instagram and Facebook accounts. While account support is currently available only in English, Meta plans to expand it to Hindi in the future. Interested users can join the waitlist for the web version of the service.
Unlike Twitter, Meta will continue to maintain its existing legacy badges for accounts that meet specific criteria. Meta stated that the expansion to India is based on positive results from early testing in multiple countries.
To be eligible for Meta Verified, accounts must meet minimum activity requirements and users must be 18 years or older. They are also required to submit a government ID that matches their profile name. Proactive monitoring for account impersonation will be included in the subscription, and some users may need to provide a selfie video for authentication.
At present, businesses are not eligible to apply for Meta Verified. Accounts with existing badges will retain their verified status as they are more susceptible to impersonation.
Meta aims to create a subscription offering that benefits creators, businesses, and the larger community. The company plans to redefine the meaning of verified accounts to expand access to verification, ensuring users can trust the authenticity of the accounts they interact with.
Meta has emphasised its commitment to taking action against users attempting to evade its systems. The company will continuously monitor and review reported violations and swiftly address any attempts to circumvent its measures.
Unlike Twitter's initial approach, Meta will not differentiate between badges for users who sign up for the Verified program and those with legacy badges. However, follower counts will be displayed to distinguish well-known accounts, and Meta is exploring additional ways to differentiate such accounts.
The subscription service aims to diversify Meta's revenue streams beyond digital advertising, which faced challenges in 2022. The program comes at a reduced fee compared to its initial proposal and is part of Meta's vision to provide a valuable subscription offering for creators, businesses, and the community.
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