Social media giant Meta has rolled out Meta Verified, the company's take on the verification subscription model that began under Elon Musk's Twitter. If you go by a fake name on the internet, you might want to think twice about paying for Instagram verification.
Facebook and Instagram users can now pay $14.99 per month (each, if signing up for both) through the respective apps for a verification badge, as well as promised perks like increased customer service and visibility, active impersonation monitoring, and stickers. It's $11.99/month each if you sign up on a web browser.
This means there are now two ways to get verified on Instagram: through a Meta Verified subscription, or applying for a badge if you're a public figure or brand and pass their eligibility requirements. These requirements are being authentic, unique, complete (public and have a bio), and notable (featured in multiple new sources — and not from sponsored content).
"I don't love the idea of Meta Verified," said Dr Carolina Are, innovation fellow at Northumbria University's Center for Digital Citizens, platform governance researcher, and content creator. "First of all, because I think the beginning is going to be quite shambolic," as what happened with the launch of Twitter Blue.
Another reason Are cited was the lack of differentiation between legacy-verified users and those who paid for it.
Meta Verified is essentially paying for customer service — which is terribly lacking at Meta — and also paying for visibility, she said. "It's a way for the platform to acknowledge that it's been bad at…prioritizing creators and prioritizing people who need views," said Are, who is legacy-verified on the platform.
"I also just doubt how helpful this is going to be for people that Meta frowns upon already," she continued, "Nude content creators and…sex educators and activists and…sex workers obviously, who have been notoriously censored by Meta."
"I just doubt how helpful this is going to be for people that Meta frowns upon already."
Sex workers, educators, and other creators in this space have said for years that Instagram targets them, such as by shadowbanning (i.e. blocking their content from other people) or straight-up banning. Are doubts that these creators who pay for verification will get the support they need from Meta.
Meta's requirements for the paid verification service are:
Be a public or private profile, associated with your full name, align with naming standards, and have a profile picture that includes your face
Have two-factor authentication enabled which may be completed after payment.
Must meet minimum activity requirements, such as prior posting history.
Have a government-issued ID that matches the name on your profile and profile photo.
Meet our Terms of Use and Community Guidelines.
A note on Instagram's "About eligibility for Meta Verified on Instagram" page reads, "At this time, Meta Verified subscriptions only support your real name on your profile. Once your profile is verified, you can’t change the username, profile name, date of birth or photo on your profile without going through the Meta Verified subscription and verification process again."
People who can't have their real full name on their profile — like sex workers — won't be able to get the help they need, Are said.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed to Mashable that using your real name is a requirement for Meta Verified, and that it's clear in the onboarding flows so people are aware when they sign up. Meta doesn't automatically change someone's profile to display their real name; that's controlled by the user when they sign up.
Public figures who apply for verification have to upload identification documents to prove authenticity, the spokesperson continued, which can be one form of government ID or two forms of non-government ID like a utility bill or tax filing.
"The platform is essentially saying, 'You're not going to be protected, your content is not going to be seen unless you are willing to out yourself,'" Are said, "which a lot of users that are normally affected by censorship, but who also need the platform the most, are not going to be able to access."
