Facebook, Instagram users to pay $12 monthly for verification

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta will launch a paid subscription service starting at $11.99 a month allowing users to verify their accounts, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Sunday, following a similar move by Elon Musk at Twitter.

Meta Verified, which will roll out first in Australia and New Zealand this week, will let users “verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support,” Zuckerberg said.

“This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” he wrote in a statement posted to his Facebook account.

There would be no changes to accounts on Facebook and Instagram that are already verified, the company said, adding that only users who are over the age of 18 will be allowed to subscribe. The service is not yet available to businesses.

Musk’s initial attempts to launch a similar service at rival social media network Twitter last year backfired wildly with an embarrassing spate of fake accounts that scared advertisers and cast doubt on the site’s future.

He was forced to briefly suspend the effort before relaunching it to muted reception in December.

Meta’s announcement comes as the social media behemoth grappled with financial difficulties over the past year, announcing in November that it would lay off 11,000 employees or 13 percent of its staff — the largest worker reduction in the company’s history.

The layoffs are part of a wave of redundancies announced by Silicon Valley giants in recent months, as the once unassailable sector faces economic gloom.

Meta is also under pressure for making a huge gamble on the metaverse, the world of virtual reality that Zuckerberg believes will be the next frontier online.

Investors last year punished Meta, sending the company’s share price down by an astonishing two-thirds over 12 months, but the stock has recovered some of the ground in 2023.

Zuckerberg has remained optimistic about Meta’s future.

Earlier this month the company reported its first annual sales drop since it went public in 2012, but the fall was less brutal than expected.

The company also recently announced that the number of daily users on Facebook hit two billion for the first time.

Comments

Amb. Olufadi Bags NANS Kwara ‘Icon Of Hope’ Leadership Award

Ambassador Olufadi Balarabe Ayuba, a distinguished lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, has been honored with the "Icon of hope Leadership Award" by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Kwara State Chapter. The prestigious award recognizes Olufadi's exceptional contributions to leadership, academic excellence, and his unwavering commitment to students constituency, youth development and mentorship in the state. Presenting the award on Monday December 2, NANS Kwara Delegates Comrade Sulyman Muhammed Solihu and Comrade Owolabi Barakat described Olufadi as a beacon of hope and a role model for students and young leaders. In his acceptance speech, Olufadi expressed gratitude for the recognition, dedicating the award to his students and colleagues. He thanked the organizers for recognizing his efforts. Olufadi also commended the Polytechnic Management, led by the Project Rector, Dr. Abdul...

THE PLACE OF A MOTHER

By: Olufadi Balarabe Ayuba. Let her know the day she was born nakedly beautiful with tears of joy rolling down her stunningly soft cheeks. Let her know the day she had enough words to say but could only speak through the inexhaustible care of her beloved mother. Let her know those days she could not by herself take some walks down the road, but could comfortably tour the entire city tied on her mother's back. Let her know those days when she had to cry all night before she could answer nature's call, except lullabies were sung to ease her trips. Let her know the days she couldn't bathe herself, compelling her mother to wake up early, warm the water, and ignore her refusal to take a bath every morning! Let her know the day she couldn't do makeovers to beautify herself, as her mother took center stage to apply "Dusting Powder" to introduce the beauty of her Darling Princess to the world. Let her know the days when all others had forsaken, except...

KwaraPoly students embarks on campaign to celebrate Rector

Students of Kwara State Polytechnic, Department of Mass Communication has embarked on a 3-days Advertising Campaign to celebrate the Rector, Engr. Jimoh Muhammad Abdul for his kind gesture towards the Department and her students. ADVERT: Education has become way with KwaraPoly ODFEL The students in the early hours of Saturday morning went on different social media platforms; Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp with the hashtag “More than just a Rector”. Some of the post has inscriptions such as “a leader with an excellent administrative skills. Your contributions to the department of mass communication are wholesomely perceived” Also includes “an achiever who is very keen on intellectual and infrastructural development of the Department of Mass Communication”, Further include “You are a simple and definite simplifier, you have tremendously simplified studying mass communication in Kwara State Polytechnic “. ADVERT: Lola’s Hair Palace, we provide the best ...

Search This Blog