AI has made it stupidly easy to fake being a real person online, so Facebook is rolling out a new badge to prove you’re not one of them. It’s called Facebook Verified, and the best part is that it won’t cost you a thing.
How do you get verified on Facebook?
I love that Facebook has made it easy to get verified. You record a short video selfie, and Facebook checks it against your existing profile photos to confirm it’s really you. The whole thing takes just a few minutes, and unlike some other social media platforms, Facebook isn’t charging you a subscription fee for this checkmark.
That said, not everyone gets to join the club. You need to be 18 or older, and your account has to be in good standing with Facebook’s rules around fraud, scams, and deceptive behavior. Show any signs of inauthentic activity, and you can forget about getting that badge. Also, Pages and ProMode accounts are not eligible right now.
Facebook has said that the feature is rolling out in phases, starting with select markets before it goes global, so don’t panic if you don’t see it on your account just yet.
Where will you see this badge?
Once you’re verified, the badge follows you to the spots where trust actually matters, like Marketplace, Facebook Dating, Groups, and your profile. Facebook says Feed posts will get the badge too, eventually.
You only have to verify once, and that badge travels with you everywhere. So next time you’re negotiating over a secondhand couch or matching with someone on Dating, you’ll know there’s an actual human on the other side.
Facebook also says that verification isn’t an endorsement. The company is upfront that the badge doesn’t mean it’s vouching for anyone’s trustworthiness. Verified users still have to play by the same Community Standards and Commerce Policies as everyone else.
As much as I abhor some of the Meta policies, this is a step in the right direction. As AI-generated profiles get harder to spot, a free badge that says “yes, I’m a real person” feels like a pretty useful thing to have around.