Facebook and Instagram are launching a new subscription service that will allow users to pay to become verified.

Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — said it would begin testing “Meta Verified” in Australia and New Zealand this week, with other countries soon. The announcement came on Sunday via CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram account.

The monthly subscription service will start at $11.99 a month on the web or $14.99 a month on iOS or Android.

In addition to a verification badge, the service includes more protection against impersonating accounts, increased visibility in areas such as search and recommendations, and more direct access to customer support, according to a news release.

• To be eligible, accounts must meet minimum activity requirements, such as prior posting history, and 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.
• Subscriptions will include proactive monitoring for account impersonation.

The move aligns closely with Elon Musk’s revamped “Twitter Blue,” which was unveiled in November 2022. Musk made the once-free blue check mark, noting a popular account’s authenticity, available to any user who paid a monthly fee, but had to relaunch the service in December after a flood of users impersonated companies and celebrities.

Unlike Twitter, however, Meta clarified that there would be no changes to accounts that were verified as a result of prior “authenticity and notability” requirements.

Meta Verified isn’t available for businesses yet, but that’s part of the service’s long-term goal.

“As part of this vision, we are evolving the meaning of the verified badge so we can expand access to verification and more people can trust the accounts they interact with are authentic,” Meta’s news release said.

Meta’s announcement to charge for verification comes after the company lost more than $600 billion in market value last year.

As far as performers go whose names don’t match their government-issued ID, it remains to be seen if this service will apply to them or if they’ll have to wait until the service rolls out to businesses.

In the meantime, adult performers should consider getting their name trademarked or, at the very least, getting their stage name as a DBA of their business to give themselves a little more power when it comes to dealing with social media companies, which don’t tend to recognize stage names.