Instagram, the Meta owned social media app, is rumored to be working on a paid verification feature, similar to what Twitter has with Twitter Blue.
Tech leaker, Alessandro Paluzzi, leaked a couple of code snippets that suggest Instagram is working on a subscription plan that includes a blue badge.
Paluzzi shared screenshots of the specific code lines he’d found that read “IG_NME_PAID_BLUE_BADGE_IDV” and “FB_NME_PAID_BLUE_BADGE_IDV” suggesting paid verification. He noted that IDV could mean identity verification.
There were other code references to a new type of subscription product that were also in the latest builds of the Facebook app.
Twitter Blue, as you may be aware of, is a monthly subscription service that costs $8 to $11 and grants users access to the website’s verified checkmark as well as some experimental features.
Offering paid verification was one of Elon Musk’s first moves after taking over Twitter, and it did make Blue appear more appealing to prospective subscribers.
However, its launch was a disaster because the company failed to implement safeguards to prevent random users from impersonating companies and high-profile personalities.
If Meta truly is developing paid verification, it has to find a way not to repeat Twitter’s mistake. Especially since Instagram users might scramble to get their profiles verified, considering how hard it currently is to get a blue badge on the app.
