SINGAPORE - Facebook and Instagram users in Singapore can now pay to have the coveted blue check on their accounts if they can provide government ID for verification and meet several criteria.
The verification badge was previously available only to public figures. Now, those who subscribe to Meta Verified – a paid service that Meta first launched in Australia and New Zealand in February – can also apply for the blue tick if they are at least 18 years old, and have met minimum activity requirements.
Meta’s Asia-Pacific vice-president Dan Neary said on Facebook on Thursday that Meta Verified is now available in more than 30 Asia-Pacific markets, including Singapore.
“(I am) very excited to see how creators in Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and other markets in the region will leverage this to build their communities on Instagram, Facebook and now Threads,” Mr Neary said.
Meta has said that the paid subscription service is primarily targeted at content creators who want to expand their presence on the platforms.
Users can buy a monthly subscription for $15 on the Web, or $18 on iOS and Android. Those who wish to use Meta Verified on both Facebook and Instagram must subscribe on each app separately.
In response to The Straits Times’ queries, Meta said their iOS and Android pricing is higher to reflect the additional fees those platforms charge developers.
“Where available, one can subscribe to Meta Verified at the lower base price on web,” Meta said, adding: “Subscribing on the web grants you the same access to Meta Verified benefits as purchasing on iOS and Android.”
Meta Verified came after rival social media firm Twitter in 2022 launched a similar service, which became a flop when it was exploited by many impersonators. In Twitter’s case, there was no requirement for the submission of government ID for verification.
There are no immediate changes to accounts on Facebook and Instagram that are already verified based on prior requirements, Meta said, but verified users can still pay for the subscription service for other benefits, such as better protection from impersonators, direct access to customer support, and exclusive stickers.
Social media influencer Wendy Cheng, more popularly known as Xiaxue, told ST she has not decided whether to pay for the service.
“It really depends on what features they roll out with this service and who else also paid,” said Ms Cheng, who has an Instagram following of 579,000.
“I foresee that those who pay for it may not be a famous person, but someone like a multi-level marketing salesman promoting himself as a famous speaker, and I would not like to be part of that group,” the 39-year-old said, before adding: “(But) if everyone has the tick, maybe I may feel left out.”
Actor-host Andie Chen, who has 114,000 followers on Instagram, also said he is not rushing to subscribe to the service.
“I’ll give it some time to see if the service actually does what it says. If it does, I might pay for it since impersonators are a huge problem, and I’m reporting scams on a weekly basis,” he told ST.
The 38-year-old added that the subscription fee is expensive, but the service will be very attractive to content creators if it can help increase the reach of their accounts.
Financial consultant and lifestyle content creator Krystal Tan, 29, said she may pay for the blue mark as the price is “rather reasonable”.
“Having the verification also assures potential brands that I am the real deal, so I think it’s worth the investment,” said Ms Tan, who goes by the username utasong on Instagram and has close to 13,000 followers.
