Photo: Gabrielle Henderson/Unsplash
Code within the Instagram app suggests Meta is planning to take cues from Elon Musk's Twitter by adding blue checkmarks in its app, which is verification on the social platform that Twitter now charges for. Reverse engineering professional Alessandro Paluzzi spotted a new mention in the codebase of both Facebook and Instagram suggesting it wants to add a "paid blue badge."
Meta has yet to confirm or deny the feature, but if true, it looks like the company is looking for a new way to monetize. It's a baffling source of revenue from a creator's perspective, given verification is crucial for ensuring prominent people or profiles are distinguished from copycats, scammers, and the like. What value would these blue checkmarks bring if people can just pay for them? Since this is hidden within the code, it may not even be released. But it gives us an idea of what Meta might be considering.