Instagram May be Working on a Paid Verification Feature, According to Code

Instagram may be looking into introducing a paid verification system. According to code found by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, the social media platform may already be looking to integrate a similar feature to Twitter’s.

As first reported by TechCrunch, evidence of a paid verification system within Instagram’s code has been explicitly discovered. Paluzzi found snippets that say “IG_NME_PAID_BLUE_BADGE_IDV” and “FB_NME_PAID_BLUE_BADGE_IDV.” The IG and FB at the start of each line refer to Instagram and Facebook, as the latter was found on Meta’s other social media site. This indicates that Meta could be prepping a push to introduce paid verification across its platforms.

On top of the references to paid verification, Paluzzi also discovered code referring to a new subscription mode. However, Paluzzi isn’t able to confidently say whether this will be tied to the paid system. However, evidence is stacking up in that Instagram may be introducing its own Twitter Blue model.

#Instagram is working on a subscription plan which includes the blue badge 👀

— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) February 2, 2023

For the uninitiated, Twitter Blue is paid monthly subscription where users can gain access to “perks” like an edit function, reduced ads, and of course, a blue checkmark. In Canada, Twitter Blue costs $10 each month if you sign up on a browser or $15 per month on mobile. The latter benefit was added when Elon Musk purchased the company and took over as CEO.

Since adding verification behind a paywall, many began questioning the validity of verification. At its core, verification was meant to act as a way for journalists, content creators, high-profile actors, government officials, etc. from being impersonated online. Removing this in exchange for a monthly cost is hardly appealing to most users across any industry.

Currently, it remains to be seen how Meta will choose to message this change if and when it is ready. Additionally, there’s no word on when this system may be introduced to users worldwide.