Users of Facebook and Instagram aren’t pleased that the company plans to start charging users to earn verified status.
Searches for “deactivate instagram” are up by 2,400% and “deactivate facebook” increased by 1,566% following the announcement earlier this week, according to an analysis of Google Trends data from VPNOverview.com.
The cost of Meta Verified will be up to US$14.99 per month or US$11.99 for those using the web. The feature is being rolled out to users in Australia and New Zealand this week. Twitter Blue, for comparison, costs $8.99 per month.
The company claims that, in addition to the prized blue checkmark, the feature will shield users from impersonation and boost their online presence. It will not affect public figures or other entities that are already verified, according to a Meta blog post.
Meta shares were up 0.4% to US$171.87 Thursday morning in New York.