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Facebook and Instagram users will now be charged to have verified social media accounts; Meta has announced.

Via a Facebook post on Sunday, Meta’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mark Zuckerberg announced  that later this week, the first rollout of the service will be in Australia and New Zealand.

The charges for this service will be $11.99 a month on the web or $14.99 on iOS and Android.

“In addition to a blue badge the service would offer extra impersonation protection, improved reach for verified users and direct access to customer support,” Meta said.

The firm stated it would rely on government ID documents to prove the identity of verified accounts, “To avoid the embarrassment of accounts impersonating people and brands – as happened when Twitter initially rolled out its paid verification service.”

To get the service, the accounts must have a posting history. Also, the social media user should be at least 18 years old.

However, businesses would not access the service as of now, the company stated.

The firm added that the verified user audience size and the topic they share will determine the visibility of their posts.

“Those with smaller audiences might see more of an impact,” Meta said.

The company said it would also offer “exclusive stickers” on Facebook and Instagram stories and Facebook reels.