Instagram might be working on a paid verification system similar to Twitter Blue

Instagram is rumoured to be working on a subscription plan that includes the blue badge. “Paid blue badge,” as a reverse engineer named Alessandro Paluzzi puts it (via TechCrunch), was found in code snippets that suggested the company might be thinking about letting users pay for verification.

“At the moment there are only a few small references in the code about this, nothing visible so, until I post a screenshot that can confirm my assumption, consider it a mere rumor,” Paluzzi tweeted.

He showed TechCrunch screenshots from the app’s code that included references to “IG NME PAID BLUE BADGE IDV” and “FB NME PAID BLUE BADGE IDV.” Given the circumstances, he hypothesised that the term “IDV” referred to the process of confirming one’s identity.

The phrase “paid blue badge” also appears to be a reference to the platform’s verified users and the blue badges they receive. Facebook and Instagram, respectively, are abbreviated as FB and IG; this may indicate that Meta is considering charging users for cross-platform verification.

In the past, Paluzzi has uncovered other features buried in Instagram’s code, such as the ability to have music play automatically on your profile (à la MySpace) and a feature that mimics BeReal’s daily candid photo prompts.

Also, the developer reportedly found code that talked about a new type of subscription, but it’s not clear if it has anything to do with paid verification. As you may know, Twitter Blue is a paid service that grants subscribers access to the verified checkmark and other perks, as well as a few experimental features. It was one of Elon Musk’s first acts after taking control of Twitter to introduce paid verification, which improved Blue’s appeal to potential customers.

When it first went live, however, it was a huge flop because the company had not taken precautions to stop ordinary people from posing as famous brands and people.

If Meta is serious about creating a paid verification system, it needs to avoid making the same mistake as Twitter. Given how challenging it is to earn the coveted blue verification badge on Instagram at the moment, users may rush to have their profiles confirmed.

Verification on Instagram is so highly sought after that it has spawned a black market, with users willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege.

While TechCrunch claims Meta is working on paid verification, the company declined to comment on Paluzzi’s discovery.