Meta starts testing paid verification for Canadian Facebook, Instagram creators
Meta Platforms Inc. has begun allowing "up-and-coming creators" in Canada to pay to be verified on Facebook and Instagram.
The social media company says in a release that the pay-for-verification program is called Meta Verified.
It costs $15.99 per month if purchased through a web browser, or $19.99 per month if bought through an iOS or Android3 device.
Meta Verified promises to authenticate accounts using government ID and mark them with a blue frilly check mark.
Users who pay will also get extra customer support from live operators and proactive account monitoring for impersonators who might target people with growing online audiences.
While it runs its verification test, Meta says there will be no changes to Instagram and Facebook accounts that were verified before the program began.
Its experiment with paid verification comes after Twitter began charging users to obtain and maintain a blue check mark and access a slew of other features.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2023.
RISKIN REPORTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

1 RCMP officer killed, 2 seriously injured while executing search warrant in Coquitlam, B.C.
One RCMP officer was killed and two others were seriously injured while police were executing a search warrant at a home in Coquitlam, B.C., Friday.
EXCLUSIVE 'Shared intelligence' from Five Eyes informed Trudeau's India allegation: U.S. ambassador
There was 'shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners' that informed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's public allegation of a potential link between the government of India and the murder of a Canadian citizen, United States Ambassador to Canada David Cohen confirmed to CTV News.
'He was truly exceptional': Slain B.C. RCMP officer identified
B.C. RCMP has identified the officer killed while executing a search warrant in Coquitlam Friday morning as Const. Rick O'Brien.
WATCH Video of rats running on wall prompts closure of Waterloo Tim Hortons
A Tim Hortons on University of Waterloo campus has been closed after a video of rats scurrying down one of the restaurant’s walls surfaced online.
'He had a big heart': Father of fallen teenage wildland firefighter remembers his son
When 19-year-old Jaxon Billyboy graduated high school in Williams Lake in June, it was a proud moment for his father Sheldon Bowe.
How does India's visa office suspension affect Canadian travellers?
The suspension of Indian visa services for Canadians this week has prompted uncertainty among many who had hoped to travel to India in the near future. Here's what the visa centre closure could mean for India's sizable diaspora community in Canada, which is now caught in the middle of rising diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Health Canada recalls more than 28,000 X-Lite lighters due to burn hazard
Health Canada has issued a recall notice for the X-Lite Multi-Purpose Lighter, warning consumers about the potential fire and burn hazards associated with this product.
TREND LINE Conservatives extend summer lead over Liberals, NDP sees bump in Nanos ballot tracking
With the fall sitting of Parliament underway, Nanos ballot tracking shows the federal Conservatives continue to hold onto the lead they’ve had all summer while the Liberals remain stalled, and the NDP has managed to gain a bit of steam in third place.
Who's Bob Menendez? New Jersey's senator charged with corruption has survived politically for years
Bob Menendez, 69, has survived politically for nearly five decades. The son of Cuban immigrants and an attorney by training, he was a Union City, New Jersey, school board member at age 20 -- before he graduated from law school -- and went on to become the mayor of the city. Here's some of what we know about him.