Code discovered that references a ‘paid blue badge” subscription service.
Pocket-lint
Even though Elon Musk’s Twitter Blue paid verification service has proved controversial, it looks like Meta could be about to follow suit. Code has been found inside the latest Instagram and Facebook apps that seem to refer to a similar “paid blue badge” scheme.
A similar line of code was found in each of the apps by developer Alessandro Paluzzi. Reading “IG_NME_PAID_BLUE_BADGE_IDV” and “FB_NME_PAID_BLUE_BADGE_IDV” their meaning is fairly clear. The “IG” and “FB” parts refer to the services – Instagram and Facebook – while the “IDV” section is generally an abbreviation for ID verification. We don’t really need to explain the “PAID_BLUE_BADGE” bit.
Paluzzi, who is very active on Twitter, sent TechCrunch screen grabs of his discovery and claims that these strings have only recently appeared. He has a track history of finding out about features in apps, such as WhatsApp, in the past, which have regularly come to fruition.
Alessandro Paluzzi
The developer has also confirmed that other references to subscription services were found.
That Instagram wants to open up its blue tick verification system to more users is to be encouraged. The suggestion that it wants to go down a similar paid route to Twitter is troubling, however. Musk’s social network is now already getting to the point where you don’t know whether to trust a source with a verified badge or not, considering it can simply be paid for rather than earned. Indeed, the word “verified” no longer seems to hold much weight on the service.
If Facebook and Instagram head in the same direction, the tick will become meaningless, surely?
Maybe it will encourage everyone to head back to the mainstream media for their news fix again. Or maybe they’ll just head to TikTok instead.
Of course, the code found in the apps might not yet amount to much (or anything at all). It could be that Meta is just mulling over the idea and preparing in case, with an eye on the long term effect of Twitter Blue. It is yet to respond to the discovery, so we await its comments with bated breath, rather than open wallets.
