Meta rolls out paid verification option for Facebook and Instagram users in U.S.
Instagram, Facebook on the screen of a smartphone in Kempten, Germany, on Oct. 4, 2021. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand / dpa via AP)
Facebook and Instagram users in the United States will soon be able to pay to get a coveted blue check on their account.
Meta on Friday began testing a paid verification option for US users of the two social networks, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Instagram. The company plans to gradually roll out the paid option to more US users over the next few weeks.
First tested in February in Australia and New Zealand, Meta Verified starts at $11.99 a month on the web or $14.99 a month on mobile. In addition to verification, the option offers perks such as extra protection from impersonation accounts and direct access to customer support.
To avoid fake accounts, customers who want to get the blue badge would need to provide a government ID which matches their profile name and picture. Users must also be above 18 to be eligible for the new service.
"This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services," Zuckerberg wrote in February in an Instagram broadcast channel.
Meta joins other platforms, like Discord, Reddit and YouTube, which have their own subscription-based models. Twitter relaunched its own verification subscription service, Twitter Blue, in December, after an onset of fake "verified" accounts forced it to pull the feature. Twitter Blue costs $11 a month for iOS and Android subscribers, part of owner Elon Musk's attempt to raise its subscriptions business after buying the platform for $44 billion.
For Meta, the move offers the promise of another revenue stream beyond advertising, at a time when its core ad sales business is under pressure from a number of factors, including privacy changes on Apple and tightening budgets amid recession fears.
RISKIN REPORTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Experts warn of 'rapid' growth of IBD as number of Canadians diagnosed set to reach 470K by 2035
The number of people in Canada with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing rapidly and is expected to grow to 470,000 by 2035, according to a new report from Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
'Torch has been passed': What younger generations need to know about inheriting a family cottage
As more Canadians pass their family cottages down to the next generation, 'major shifts' in the ownership of recreational homes will occur, according to Re/Max. But amid concerns around the cost of housing, some may be wondering whether they can afford to keep that family cottage. Here's what younger generations need to know about inheriting a recreational property and the market today.
Poilievre tries to head off PPC vote as Bernier bets on social conservatives
Pierre Poilievre is off to Manitoba to rally Conservative supporters ahead of a byelection that Maxime Bernier is hoping will send him back to Parliament. The far-right People's Party of Canada leader lost his Quebec seat in the 2019 federal vote and lost again in the 2021 election.
Canadian Jamal Murray makes a difference in NBA finals game 1
The highlight of Game 1 for Jamal Murray came when he dribbled into the middle, planted his surgically repaired left knee in the paint, made a full clockwise turn, then faded away and swished a mid-range jumper.
Nixing Canadian experience rule spells opportunity for Ontario foreign engineers, workers say
Accessible Community Counselling and Employment Services, a charity that supports internationally trained engineers like Zaitsev, said the dropping of the Canadian experience requirement is a welcome development.
Kyiv defences thwart Russia's 6th air assault in 6 days against Ukraine capital
Ukrainian air defences shot down more than 30 Russian cruise missiles and drones in Moscow's sixth air attack in six days on Kyiv, local officials said Friday. The Ukrainian capital was simultaneously attacked from different directions by Iranian-made Shahed drones and cruise missiles from the Caspian region.
Biden trips after speech addressing U.S. Air Force Academy graduates
U.S. President Joe Biden quipped that he got 'sandbagged' Thursday after he tripped and fell -- but was uninjured -- while onstage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation.
Hidden camera discovered in washroom at Gatineau, Que. elementary school
Gatineau police say officers responded to a call from staff at l’école l'Oiseau Bleu on Nelligan Street just after 10 a.m. Friday about a camera found in the washroom.
Movie reviews: 'Spider-Man' a wild pop culture pastiche of visual styles
This week, pop culture critic Richard Crouse reviews new movies: 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,' 'The Boogeyman,' 'Bones of Crows.'
Canada
-
Collapsed platform in Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar last repaired a decade ago: city
The elevated walkway in Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar that collapsed during a school field trip, sending 16 children and one adult to hospital, was last repaired a decade ago.
-
Nixing Canadian experience rule spells opportunity for Ontario foreign engineers, workers say
Accessible Community Counselling and Employment Services, a charity that supports internationally trained engineers like Zaitsev, said the dropping of the Canadian experience requirement is a welcome development.
-
Manitoba premier issues apology for centre for people with intellectual disabilities
Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson formally apologized in the legislature Thursday to former residents of the Manitoba Developmental Centre, one of the country's last large institutional facilities for people with intellectual disabilities.
-
Hidden camera discovered in washroom at Gatineau, Que. elementary school
Gatineau police say officers responded to a call from staff at l’école l'Oiseau Bleu on Nelligan Street just after 10 a.m. Friday about a camera found in the washroom.
-
Man accused of threatening to shoot Toronto mayoral candidates arrested
A man who allegedly threatened to shoot mayoral candidates that led to the cancellation of Thursday’s debate has been arrested.
-
'Both of them had a heart of gold': Family releases statement on engaged couple shot dead at home near Hamilton
The family of an engaged couple who were shot dead following a dispute with their landlord in Stoney Creek over the weekend released a statement of their loved ones, remembering them as 'two beautiful souls.'
World
-
Australian decorated hero quits corporate job after Afghanistan war crime revelations
Australia's most decorated living war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith quit his corporate job Friday after a civil court blamed him for unlawfully killing four Afghans, escalating calls for the tarnished national hero to be stripped of his revered Victoria Cross medal.
-
Despite flags, Border Patrol staff didn't review fragile 8-year-old girl's file before she died
Border Patrol medical staff declined to review the file of an 8-year-old girl with a chronic heart condition and rare blood disorder before she appeared to have a seizure and died on her ninth day in custody, an internal investigation found.
-
Clashes in Senegal leave at least 9 dead; government bans use of social media platforms
Clashes between police and supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko left nine people dead, the government said Friday, with authorities issuing a blanket ban on the use of several social media platforms in the aftermath of the violence.
-
U.S. retaliates for Russia's suspension of New START treaty by revoking visas of nuclear inspectors
The Biden administration is retaliating for Russia's suspension of the New START nuclear treaty, announcing Thursday it is revoking the visas of Russian nuclear inspectors, denying pending applications for new monitors and cancelling standard clearances for Russian aircraft to enter U.S. airspace.
-
Jordan's crown prince weds scion of Saudi family in royal wedding packed with stars, symbolism
Jordan's crown prince married the scion of a prominent Saudi family on Thursday in a palace ceremony attended by royals and other VIPs from around the world, as massive crowds gathered across the kingdom to celebrate the region's newest power couple.
-
Poland's president proposes urgent amendments to law on Russian influences
Polish President Andrzej Duda unexpectedly said Friday that he was proposing urgent amendments to a contentious law on Russian influences that he signed this week and that drew U.S. and European Union criticism.
Politics
-
Poilievre tries to head off PPC vote as Bernier bets on social conservatives
Pierre Poilievre is off to Manitoba to rally Conservative supporters ahead of a byelection that Maxime Bernier is hoping will send him back to Parliament. The far-right People's Party of Canada leader lost his Quebec seat in the 2019 federal vote and lost again in the 2021 election.
-
Canada silent on Polish democratic backslide as prime minister visits Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is welcoming Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to Canada Friday as the federal Liberals keep quiet about a democratic backslide in his country.
-
Bill Blair blames CSIS director for not passing along memo warning of threats to MP
Bill Blair is blaming Canadian Security Intelligence Service director David Vigneault for the fact he didn't receive a memo warning about the alleged targeting of Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family by a Chinese diplomat.
Health
-
Experts warn of 'rapid' growth of IBD as number of Canadians diagnosed set to reach 470K by 2035
The number of people in Canada with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing rapidly and is expected to grow to 470,000 by 2035, according to a new report from Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
-
Despite munchies, frequent cannabis users are leaner and less likely to get diabetes: study
Despite the 'munchies' being a common cannabis effect, frequent users are leaner and less likely to develop diabetes than people who don't use the drug. According to a new study, cannabis use in teenage years may alter how the body's fat cells work.
-
Black men were likely underdiagnosed with lung problems because of bias in software, study suggests
Racial bias built into a common medical test for lung function is likely leading to fewer Black patients getting care for breathing problems, a study published Thursday suggests.
Sci-Tech
-
Woman walking on California beach finds ancient mastodon tooth
A woman taking a Memorial Day weekend stroll on a California beach found something unusual sticking out of the sand: a tooth from an ancient mastodon.
-
Newly discovered stone tools drag dawn of Greek archaeology back by a quarter-million years
Deep in an open coal mine in southern Greece, researchers have discovered the antiquities-rich country's oldest archaeological site, which dates to 700,000 years ago and is associated with modern humans' hominin ancestors. The find announced Thursday would drag the dawn of Greek archaeology back by as much as a quarter of a million years, although older hominin sites have been discovered elsewhere in Europe. The oldest, in Spain, dates to more than a million years ago.
-
Strawberry Moon kicks off month of planetary shows
From the Strawberry Moon to invisible meteors, here's a round-up of when to look up and what to look for in the sky this month.
Entertainment
-
Movie reviews: 'Spider-Man' a wild pop culture pastiche of visual styles
This week, pop culture critic Richard Crouse reviews new movies: 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,' 'The Boogeyman,' 'Bones of Crows.'
-
Dev Shah wins National Spelling Bee, going out on top after up-and-down spelling career
Dev, a 14-year-old from Largo, Florida, wins the National Spelling Bee.
-
Armie Hammer avoids charges after sex assault investigation, says 'name has been cleared'
Actor Armie Hammer will not be charged after a long investigation of a woman's allegation that he sexually assaulted her in 2017, Los Angeles prosecutors said.
Business
-
Stock market today: World follows Wall Street up on hopes Fed will ease off rate hikes
Global stock markets and Wall Street futures rose Friday ahead of a U.S. jobs market update after Federal Reserve officials reignited hopes that another interest rate hike might be postponed.
-
Suncor to cut 1,500 jobs by end of year, employees informed Thursday
Suncor Energy Inc. will cut 1,500 jobs by the end of the year, as new CEO Rich Kruger forges ahead with his mandate to reduce costs and improve the company's lagging financial performance.
-
Ontario commits to cover 1/3 cost of Stellantis deal, Ford urges feds to close deal
Ontario has committed to paying a third of the cost to save a $5-billion electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, Ont., premier Doug Ford said Thursday.
Lifestyle
-
Edmonton librarian takes second place in Jeopardy! debut
Kyle Marshall has always loved trivia and recently he got to show the world just how much.
-
Study identifies the rise and fall of lifestyle habits during pandemic
More than three years after COVID was declared a global pandemic, a new study is looking at how the international health crisis has changed the lifestyle habits of Canadians.
-
NASA looks to spice up astronaut menu with deep space food production
Now a New York company that makes carbon-negative aviation fuel is taking the menu for interplanetary cuisine in a very different direction. Its innovation has put it in the finals of a NASA-sponsored contest to encourage development of next-generation technologies for meeting the food needs of astronauts.
Sports
-
Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass booed loudly by fans during first game since controversial Instagram post
Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Anthony Bass was booed at the Rogers Centre after he was called onto the field Wednesday night.
-
What was that thing on Djokovic's chest at the French Open? He jokes it's connected to Iron Man
So, what exactly was that metal-looking object about the size of a bottle cap that was taped to Novak Djokovic's chest at the French Open? The player said it is an incredibly efficient nanotechnology to help him deliver my best on the court, "that's the biggest secret of my career," he said sarcastically.
-
Jokic gets triple-double, Nuggets roll past Heat 104-93 in Game 1 of NBA Finals
Nikola Jokic got a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut, Canada’s Jamal Murray scored 26 points and the Denver Nuggets had little trouble with the cold-shooting Miami Heat on the way to a 104-93 win in Game 1 on Thursday night.
Autos
-
110,000 Honda vehicles recalled in Canada due to crash risks
More than 110,000 Honda vehicles are subject to a recall in Canada, due to the risk of rusting rear frames causing a crash.
-
Bizarre crash shows car driving up a truck and flipping into the air
A bizarre crash that looked like a scene from an action film was captured on a police officer's body camera in Georgia.
-
Canada closing in on deal to get Stellantis battery plant back on track: Champagne
A deal to save a $5-billion electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor is inching closer, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Wednesday.
