Meta to launch verified account service in India for Rs 699 per month

The world's largest social media company, Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced on Wednesday that verified service is now available in India at Rs 699 per month for mobile apps.

In the upcoming months, Meta plans to launch a verified service on the web for a monthly subscription cost of Rs 599.

For a verified account subscription, Facebook and Instagram users will need to verify their account with a government ID.

The verified account will provide 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 honouring verified badges that were granted previously based on existing criteria," Meta said.

To be eligible, 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 are applying for.

"We want to make it easier for creators to establish a presence so they can focus on building their communities on Instagram or Facebook. As we continue to expand and evolve Meta Verified globally, there will also be no changes to accounts that were previously verified, " Meta said.

Social media platform Twitter was the first entity to start charging a monthly subscription for a verified account.

The company rolled out the Twitter Blue subscription service early this year at a monthly fee of Rs 650 on the web and Rs 900 on mobile devices to maintain their verification status.

With PTI inputs