Are you in favour of the paid ID verification for social media?
2 March 2023
In 2022, Twitter announced the launch of the new Twitter Blue subscription which included issuing a blue checkmark to paying subscribers. Meta has now announced a similar subscription, Meta Verified. But what does this mean for businesses and social media users, and should we be in favour of paid ID verification for social media?
Why was ID verification for social media invented in the first place?
ID verification for social media, and the blue checkmark, was first introduced by Twitter in 2009. It came about as a result of one user trying to impersonate Tony La Russa, a former American baseball player, coach, and manager. Tony La Russa filed a lawsuit against Twitter, claiming it had damaged his personal brand. He intended to sue Twitter for trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and misappropriation of name and likeness.
Although the suit was dropped, it led Twitter to mitigate further lawsuits by introducing account verification. This gave blue checkmarks to high-profile account holders, such as public figures, celebrities, politicians, athletes, and also notable businesses. The verification process made it much more difficult for someone to impersonate a business or well-known individual and potentially damage their brand.
Eventually, other social media platforms followed and also introduced similar verification processes.
Why has ID verification for social media changed?
On 1 November 2022, Elon Musk, took to his Twitter platform and announced the launch of the Twitter Blue subscription. He stated:
“Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bull***t. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.”
From this, it would appear that the change was mainly down to ensuring equality for Twitter uses. However, he then went on to say:
“This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators.”
In February, Meta, the company that owns platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced the introduction of Meta Verified. Meta Verified, like Twitter Blue, is a paid subscription service for Facebook and Instagram account holders. Paid subscribers will also be able to verify their accounts and get a verification badge. Again, this is likely to result in a good source of revenue for Meta.
What features do the subscriptions include?
Twitter Blue
If you subscribe to Twitter Blue, there are a number of features that they state will “improve your experience on Twitter”. These include editing and undoing Tweets, longer Tweets and video uploads, and prioritised rankings in conversations. It also offers additional security with SMS two-factor authentication, and will soon offer half the amount of ads subscribers receive.
They confirm that other than the blue checkmark, these features will be available immediately. The blue checkmark will only appear on subscribed profiles once a review of the account has been undertaken, and the account meets all of the eligibility criteria.
Meta Verified
Subscriptions for Meta Verified are currently being tested in Australia and New Zealand. They’ve confirmed that they want to learn from the test before they evaluate, change, and deliver to the rest of the world.
Currently, the subscription includes a verified badge that authenticates your account with a government ID, proactive account protection, access to support, and increased visibility and reach.
What is 'Twitter Verified Organisations'?
Twitter Verified Organisations is a subscription for businesses to officially verify their account. Businesses that subscribe to Twitter Verified Organisations will receive a gold checkmark rather than a blue one.
This service is currently being tested for corporate entities using Twitter, so is not yet available to subscribe to.
Are paid ID verification subscriptions a good thing?
There’s currently a lot of talk about whether paid ID verification for social media is a good thing or a bad thing. On one side, Elon Musk’s comment about the “lords and peasants” is correct. There should be equality. However, on the flip side, if anyone can pay for a blue checkmark or verification badge, how will we identify the real brands and figures from the impersonators?
There’s also caution about what else is included in the packages:
- With SMS two-factor authentication and proactive account protection, will non-paid accounts be safe?
- With priorised rankings in conversations and increased visibility in reach, will non-paid accounts get any visibility?
- Will end users know whether the content in their feed is based on algorithms or because it’s from a paid account?
- With access to support, will non-paid account holders get any help if they’re hacked or have other issues?
Basically, will the platforms as we currently use them become unfit for purpose without paying for them? I guess time will tell.
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All content in this article was correct at the time of publication.
