Meta, an American web giant that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has launched since February 19 in Australia and New Zealand a new paid feature called ” Meta Verified “. Against a dozen dollars a month, the ” creators » social networks Facebook and Instagram will be able to obtain a small blue badge proving that their online identity corresponds to their marital status and gain visibility on the platform.
Twitter, under the leadership of its new boss, billionaire Elon Musk, already launched a paid account authentication formula at the end of 2022. Wind standing against this type of device, the NGO for the defense of freedom of the press calls Meta ” to withdraw this dangerous tool which establishes a two-tier regime on access to information online ».
Read also: Meta Verified, the paid version of Instagram and Facebook
« Presenting this new feature as a guarantee of reliability when it is only disguised advertising is simply misleading and dangerous. “, declares Vincent Berthier, head of the RSF Technologies office, quoted in the press release. This tool ” is aimed at emerging creators who do not yet have a large following but are trying to establish their presence on Instagram or Facebook “, reacted to AFP a spokesperson for Meta.
« We start with a test so we can learn and evolve Meta Verified before expanding it continued Meta, saying to welcome and encourage feedback on this new feature. ” Access to information is not a market, it is a right “says Reporters Without Borders, recommending the establishment of rules to regulate this type of functionality.
Among these, prohibit the use of terms ” like +certification+ which suggests that there are guarantees of authenticity or reliability ». « Any paid promotion of content must be presented separately as such “, being accompanied by a mandatory statement such as ” advertisement » or « paid promotion “, suggests RSF. Finally, according to the NGO, ” the functioning of algorithms must integrate the promotion of the reliability of information and reject any market logic ».
