Following the model adopted by Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have launched a paid verification service in the UK, similar to the service already offered in New Zealand, Australia, and the US.
Subscribers to the new service must be over 18, and submit a government ID to prove it. Then for £9.99 per month, people will get a verified badge, more account monitoring to check for impersonators, and access to a real person if they encounter any problems with their account.
This is quite a departure for Meta, whose services have always been free, and we wonder what will be next to further monetise the platforms.