Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, on Sunday said it will be testing out a paid verification subscription service “Meta Verified” to make it easy for users to verify their accounts. 

According to a Facebook post by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the move behind the subscription service is to increase “authenticity and security across its services”.

The subscription bundle includes a verified badge that authenticates the user’s account with a government ID, proactive account protection, access to account support, and increased visibility and reach.

“We’re starting with a gradual test in Australia and New Zealand later this week to learn what’s most valuable, and we hope to bring Meta Verified to the rest of the world soon,” the company said in a blog post.

“Meta Verified is available for direct purchase on Instagram or Facebook in Australia and New Zealand starting later this week. People can purchase a monthly subscription for $11.99 on the web and $14.99 on iOS and Android,” it added. 

Currently, businesses are not eligible to apply for Meta Verified. Once a user’s profile is verified, s/he can’t change the profile name, username, date of birth, or photo on their profile without going through the Meta Verified subscription and verifications application process again.

The blog further added that there will be no changes to accounts on Instagram and Facebook that are already verified based on prior requirements, including authenticity and notability.

Meta’s new verification subscription service comes days after Twitter rolled out a similar service to increase revenues. Last year, the Elon Musk-owned social media giant announced Twitter Blue, an opt-in, paid subscription that adds a blue checkmark to user’s accounts and offers early access to select features, like Edit Tweet, with localised pricing starting at $8/month or $84/year in select countries.

According to The Information, Twitter Blue has close to 290,000 subscribers as of February. Another social media company Snapchat also offers Snapchat+ for which it charges $3.99 a month and has over two million users.