Facebook Testing New Fee For Some Users

For the vast majority of its existence, Facebook has been a place where people have liked to share news and links to websites with their friends. However, it sounds like Facebook is considering making that a paid feature.

Facebook is currently running what it describes as a "limited test" in which users would be required to pay a subscription fee to Meta Verified in order to share more than two external links in a month.

Facebook Tests New Fee

According to a report from The Guardian, Facebook began informing some users earlier this month that a Meta Verified subscription would be required in order to share more than two external links on Facebook.

“Starting 16 December, certain Facebook profiles without Meta Verified will be limited to sharing two organic [ie free] posts per month. Subscribe to Meta Verified to share more links on Facebook, plus get a verified badge and additional benefits,” Facebook warned in a message shared to users.

Facebook told The Guardian that this was simply a "limited test" to determine whether or not to move forward with the change permanently and more broadly.

In order to subscribe to Meta Verified, users must pay a fee that starts at $11.99.

What is 'Meta Verified'?

Meta Verified is a subscription service designed for creators that gives users a blue checkmark, proving their account's authenticity. It also gives users plus perks like proactive impersonation protection, direct human support, and increased visibility.

The subscription is similar to verification on X, which grants users special features and increased visibility.

The subscription service begins at $11.99 per month. So effectively, Facebook would be charging a $11.99 fee for users to be able to share more than one link per month.

Move Will Hurt News Publishers

Limiting the number of links that users can share will undoubtedly be frustrating for users, but it will also be quite harmful to news publishers, who have long used Facebook as a source for traffic.

David Buttle, the founder of media consultancy DJB Strategies, said Meta had been “in a deliberate retreat from news for several years”.

“After withdrawing from publisher payments, and blocking news links entirely in Canada in response to regulation, it has made clear that news is no longer strategic,” he told The Guardian.

“This latest experiment – which for now excludes publishers – reinforces a shift away from free distribution and towards monetising reach, as Meta looks to squeeze more value from legacy platforms.

“This may be linked to its costly and widely acknowledged misstep in the metaverse, while now doubling down on AI.”

We'll have to see whether or not Meta makes this change permanent.