Meta launches free “Facebook Verified” badge using selfie-based verification to confirm real users

Facebook is bringing back free account verification, although the familiar blue badge no longer carries the same meaning it once did. Meta has introduced a new Facebook Verified program that allows users to verify their identity at no cost through a selfie video. Unlike the original verification system, which was reserved for celebrities, public figures, journalists, and brands, the new badge is meant to confirm that an account belongs to a real person. The company said the move is intended to make it easier for users to identify authentic accounts as impersonation and AI-generated profiles become more common. The verification […]...Keep on reading: Meta brings back free Facebook verification

Facebook announced Friday they're launching a badge "that verifies there's a real person behind a profile". "You record a short video selfie, which we check against your existing profile photos to confirm a match. The process is free and typically takes just a few minutes. Accounts must meet our trust and safety standards to qualify for verification...." Once verified, your badge will appear across the places on Facebook where it matters most: Marketplace, Dating, Groups, and Profile to start. Over time, we'll add badges in Feed posts as well. There's no subscription fee — you verify once, and the badge travels with you across Facebook... [Y]ou'll see the Verified badge on accounts that have completed the verification process... It's a quick, visible signal, before you respond to a listing, accept a date, or join a conversation, that there's a real person on the other end. "We're rolling out Facebook Verified in phases, starting in select markets with plans to expand globally..." their announcement adds. "As AI makes it easier to do more on Facebook, a clear signal that distinguishes real people becomes essential. That's what Facebook Verified is for: keeping the moments that matter on Facebook grounded in real people." Lifehacker shares their reaction: Facebook says it will store your selfie video for "up to 30 days" after verification, which is a one-time process. It's not entirely clear what happens with that video in the meantime, and it's worth noting that Meta has relied on user data to train its AI. Meta AI (and Meta more broadly) is a terrible offender when it comes to privacy and security, so you should consider whether the tradeoff of a verification mark is worth handing over more of your data and read the privacy policy before you agree. Google also launched a video selfie verification feature this week, though its purpose is to prove your identity should you get locked out of your account. Unlike Facebook Verified, which is meant to be a trust signal to other users, Google's selfie verification allows access to your entire Google account, bringing with it some additional security considerations. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Today Meta is launching Facebook Verified. This is a free badge that lets you know there's a real person behind an account. To get the badge, you need to go through a selfie-based verification process. You basically record a selfie video, which the company will check against your existing profile pictures to confirm a match. The process should only take a few minutes. If you get the badge, it will initially appear in Facebook Marketplace, Dating, Groups, and on your profile. In the future, it will also be seen in Feed posts. Obviously, the badge doesn't mean that Facebook "endorses the...

Your face can now earn your Facebook account a verification badge.  On Friday, Meta Platforms launched Facebook Verified, a badge that confirms there’s a real person behind a profile. The process works through selfie-based verification. A Facebook user can record a short video selfie, which will then be used by facial-recognition technology to check against existing profile photos to confirm a match.  [Video: Meta] Once a user is verified, their badge will appear across Facebook Marketplace, Dating, Groups and a user’s profile to start. Meta has plans to eventually add the badges to posts in feeds as well. Users only have to verify once through the free process, which has no subscription fee. Prior to this launch, Facebook users could receive a verified badge through purchasing a Meta Verified subscription, which currently has plans ranging from $14.99 to $499.99 a month per profile. The badges for Facebook Verified appear to look different than the familiar blue ones that users pay for. Facebook Verified will be rolled out in phases, starting in select markets, with plans for global expansion. Meta is launching this new process as more content throughout its platforms is AI generated. “As AI makes it easier to do more on Facebook, a clear signal that distinguishes real people becomes essential,” the company said in a news release. Selfie-based verification is becoming more common Facebook Verified comes one day after Google launched its selfie video sign-in system, a new feature that allows users to use a live video selfie to access their Google accounts.  Facial biometric authentication is not an unfamiliar concept for many tech consumers, as it has been long used by Apple for its biometric security feature FaceID. Owners of Apple’s iPhones and other devices are accustomed to having the option to use their face for device access. Following Meta’s and Google’s announcements, biometric security features may become more of a default for tech companies as they look for ways to verify humans behind accounts and keep accounts safe as AI-generated content increases. 

Meta has announced Facebook Verified, a free badge that will be visible on a user's profile and is designed to confirm whether that user is a real person or an AI without actually checking that a user is who they say they are.Facebook Verified will put a new badge on profile pages and elsewhereThe new badge is separate from Meta's existing Meta Verified program and is available to eligible Facebook users who are 18 or older. Users must also be in good standing with Facebook's community standards before they can be verified.Alongside profiles, Facebook users will also be able to see a person's verified status in the Marketplace, Facebook Dating, and Facebook Groups initially. However, Meta has confirmed that it intends to bring the badges to the main feed in the future. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Meta today announced Facebook Verified, a free badge designed to confirm that a Facebook profile belongs to a real person rather than an AI-generated fake. The feature uses a selfie-based verification process: users record a short video selfie, which ‌Meta‌ checks against their existing profile photos to confirm a match. ‌Meta‌ says the process is free and typically takes just a few minutes to complete, though accounts must meet the company's trust and safety standards to qualify. Facebook Verified is limited to users 18 and older who are in good standing with ‌Meta‌'s Community Standards around fraud, scams, and deceptive practices, and who show no evidence of inauthentic behavior. The badge is not available for Pages or ProMode accounts, positioning it squarely as a personal-profile feature rather than one aimed at creators or businesses. Once verified, the badge will appear on Marketplace, Dating, Groups, and Profile, with ‌Meta‌ planning to extend it to Feed posts over time. There is no subscription fee for the feature, and the badge carries across the platform once a user has completed the one-time verification process. The launch is separate from ‌Meta‌ Verified, the company's existing paid subscription that bundles a verified badge with extras like impersonation protection and direct account support. Facebook Verified is free and narrower in scope, aimed specifically at signaling humanity rather than offering premium account features. Facebook Verified is rolling out in phases, starting in select markets, with ‌Meta‌ planning to expand availability globally over time.Tags: Facebook, MetaThis article, "Meta Launches Free 'Facebook Verified' Badge to Confirm Real Users" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums