Meta, the social media giant formerly known as Facebook, has announced the launch of a new paid verification subscription service – “Meta Verified”. This service will allow users to verify their accounts in exchange for a fee.

According to a statement by Meta, the subscription service will help to improve the user experience by ensuring that accounts are authentic and trustworthy. The company says that the verification process will involve submitting a government-issued ID.

The new service is expected to be particularly useful for businesses and public figures who want to build their brand and reach a larger audience. By verifying their accounts, they will be able to establish themselves as trustworthy and credible sources of information.

Mark Zuckerberg announced that the Meta Verified service costs $11.99 per month on web and $14.99 per month on iOS. “This week we’re starting to roll out Meta Verified,” Zuckerberg further mentioned.

In a blog post, Meta shares, “Long term, we want to build a subscription offering that’s valuable to everyone, including creators, businesses and our community at large.” They further mentioned that their goal is to broaden the accessibility of verification and establish greater trust in the authenticity of the accounts that users engage with by redefining the significance of the verified badge.

In Zuckerberg’s post, he mentioned that the main benefits of the Meta Verified subscription includes getting a blue badge, gaining extra protection against impersonation, and having direct access to customer support. “This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” Zuckerberg wrote in his post.

The service is said to be available to Australia and New Zealand this week, and to more countries soon.