Thekabarnews.com—Meta has launched Facebook Verified, a free, voluntary verification badge to prove that a Facebook profile is that of a real person. This move comes as artificial intelligence (AI) makes it easier to set up fake accounts and messages.

The feature, announced July 24, verifies eligible adult users by using a short video selfie. Meta says it compares the submitted recording with existing profile photos to see if they show the same person.

The company says the process usually takes a few minutes and requires no subscription.

“We’re launching Facebook Verified, a free badge that confirms there’s a real person behind a profile, with a simple selfie-based verification process,” Meta said in its official announcement.

The badge will initially roll out to personal profiles and some areas where identity can have a giant impact on user safety, including Facebook Marketplace, Dating, and Groups. Meta says it will show the badge in Feed posts at a later date.

Facebook Verified is available to people 18 and over who have accounts that meet Meta’s Community Standards. These accounts must also comply with policies on scams, fraud, deceptive practices, and inauthentic behavior.

Professional Mode pages or accounts are not eligible. The company has not yet published a comprehensive country-by-country schedule. However, Meta is slowly rolling out the program in select markets ahead of a planned global expansion.

The new badge is separate from Meta Verified, the company’s paid subscription product. That product provides additional services like impersonation protection and direct account support.

The process for “Facebook Verified” is more narrowly defined: It verifies that a profile has passed the selfie-based human-verification process.

Meta said generative AI has brought down the technical barrier to creating convincing fake profiles, content, and messages.

The badge is designed to give users more context before they reply to a marketplace listing, interact with a dating profile, or join a group conversation.

“As AI makes it easier to do more on Facebook, it becomes more important to have a clear signal that distinguishes real people,” the company said.

The launch comes amid high fraud risks on social platforms. Data from the US Federal Trade Commission shows nearly 30% of consumers who reported losing money to scams in 2025 said the schemes started on social media.

The FTC’s April 2026 report indicated that losses reported were $2.1 billion. Facebook reported more losses than any other social platform.

Verification is not a guarantee of integrity or security. Meta emphasizes that the badge does not mean an endorsement of a user or their trustworthiness.

The selfie requirement also could present privacy issues. In 2021, Meta shut down Facebook’s wide-ranging facial-recognition system and deleted over a billion recognition templates, citing “growing societal concerns.”

The company’s latest launch announcement does not specify how long it will store verification recordings or related facial data.

Facebook Verified assures users that Meta has verified the person. Still, the verification process should not lead to complacency regarding information sharing, meeting strangers, or sending money online.