“Meta Verified is now available in India, the UK and Canada with Brazil coming soon. Any previously verified account will maintain its status on Facebook and Instagram for free,” Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on Wednesday.
Meta Verified is a new subscription bundle on Facebook and Instagram that includes account verification with government ID, impersonation protections and account support.
“We’re expanding our test of Meta Verified to India after seeing good results from our early testing in several countries globally. We’ll also continue honoring verified badges that were granted previously based on existing criteria,” the company said in a statement.
Meta Verified is available for direct purchase on Instagram or Facebook in India starting Wednesday.
People can purchase a monthly subscription for Rs 699 on iOS and Android3 . In the coming months, the company will also introduce a web purchase option for Rs 599 a month.
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In February, Meta announced that it will begin testing a new offering called Meta Verified. The company said since its initial test of Meta Verified in Australia and New Zealand, it has made a few adjustments based on learnings, including the removal of increased reach for additional test countries. “This continues to be the approach for India. We’re exploring elements to add to the subscription as we roll out to more places and will share more when we’re ready,” the company said.Some of the top requests from creators are around broader access to verification and account support, Meta said and added that since last year, it has been thinking about how to unlock access to these features through a paid offering.
“We want to make it easier for creators to establish a presence so they can focus on building their communities on Instagram or Facebook,” the company stated.
“As we continue to expand and evolve Meta Verified globally, there will also be no changes to accounts that were previously verified,” it added.
With Meta Verified in India, users will get a verified badge, confirming they are real and that their account has been authenticated with a government ID.
They are also expected to get more protection from impersonation with proactive account monitoring for impersonators who might target people with growing online audiences.
Meta said help for common account issues would also be provided under the feature.
“At the moment, support is available in English only, but it will be extended to include Hindi as well in the coming months,” Meta said.
To be eligible for Meta verified, accounts must meet minimum activity requirements, such as prior posting history, and applicants must be at least 18 years old. Applicants are then required to submit a government ID that matches the profile name and photo of the Facebook or Instagram account they’re applying for.
The company said it will also retain the verified badge for accounts that were verified before the introduction of Meta Verified. “These accounts passed through a set of criteria to confirm their authentic presence and may be more susceptible to impersonation than the average user. So, it’s important we maintain the verified badge to protect their accounts and the people that engage with them,” Meta stated.
Since testing Meta Verified in February in Australia and New Zealand, it has expanded to the US, UK, Canada and would now be available in India.
Meta said it is evolving the meaning of verified accounts on its apps so that it can expand access to verification and more people can trust that the accounts they interact with are authentic.
The company said while it built the initial version of Meta Verified based on the feedback it has got from up-and-coming creators, it is available to creators of all sizes.
“In India, the rollout begins today and will be available to all who meet the eligibility criteria over the next few weeks,” Meta stated.
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