Alongside the reveal of its new standalone “Seller” app for business owners on Facebook Marketplace, Meta recently announced that it’s now rolling out “Facebook Verified,” a (surprisingly) free online badge which is designed to help users confirm that there’s a real person behind an account. Meta says that the new feature serves as a way to distinguish actual users online, given the prevalence of deceptive AI nowadays. As per the company:
Every day, billions of people use Facebook for genuine connection between real people — to buy and sell on Facebook Marketplace, meet someone on Facebook Dating, or join a conversation in Groups. As AI makes it easier to generate content, profiles, and messages, we want to provide a way for you to know there is a real person on the other side of a profile. That’s why we’re introducing Facebook Verified, a free badge for people on Facebook.
That said, the verification process will need users to submit a quick video selfie, which Meta then matches against an account’s existing profile photos. The check takes just a few minutes and will require no subscription fee, unlike on most other social media platforms nowadays; once verified, the badge stays on the account indefinitely. Interestingly, this comes not too long after the reveal of Google’s selfie video log-in method, which verifies a user’s identity using a similar method.
Meta says that it’s prioritizing rollout for high-interaction spaces including Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Dating, Groups, and main profile pages, with a planned expansion to Feed posts coming later. Meta is also deploying the feature in phased regional rollouts starting in select markets before expanding globally.
To access the feature, account holders must be at least 18 years old, maintain good standing under Meta’s Community Standards, and show no history of deceptive practices or inauthentic behavior. The feature is currently restricted to personal profiles and is not available for Pages or ProMode accounts.
