Facebook users will have the option of paying $20 per month for a new level of service on the platform after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the trial of a new subscription product in Australia and New Zealand.
Users who opt to pay the monthly fee will receive a “blue tick” verification on their account after submitting a Government ID to Facebook.
This new level of service will also offer a stronger level of protection from impersonation, with what Facebook describe as “proactive account monitoring” which is a common problem on the social media platform.
Paying subscribers will also receive “access to a real person for common account issues” a new level of customer service not yet seen on Facebook.
In addition there is talk of additional and increase visibility and reach on the platform and exclusive stickers and images to use on posts across Instagram and Facebook.
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The move comes just months after Elon Musk drew attention for his decision to charge a monthly subscription for “Blue Tick” verification on Twitter after he purchased the company.
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Musk claims the subscription service is an attempt to cut down on Robot accounts, while Facebook today claimed their subscription bundle plan was “to help up-and-coming creators grow their presence and build community faster”.
Facebook is yet to outline the process for verifying Government IDs, or how that data will be stored – something Australians are worried about in the wake of the Optus and Medibank data breaches late last year.
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