New changes are coming to your social media feeds. Meta announced it is rolling out a program to allow anyone to pay for verification status on Facebook and Instagram. 

The subscription service comes just weeks after Twitter rolled out a similar program. Users will not have to pay to continue using Facebook or Instagram, but Meta is billing the offer as a more secure way to use the platform. 

Meta is charging $11.99 per month for web users and $14.99 for iOS users. They will require applicants to submit proof of identification. That step is not enough for cybersecurity expert, Peter Tran. 

"This pay-to-play subscription literally introduces risk into the system," Tran said. "When you solicit this mass verification process it dilutes the system whereas before, only a select group of politicians and public organizations had to go through a more stringent vetting process. I think we are going to see an uptick in social engineering impersonation and the hacks we are starting to see more over in the news."

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Cyber security expert questions Meta's latest move

The world has become applications driven as we have adopted cloud, big data, social, and mobile technologies. This shift has significantly transformed our lives as everything continues to become digital. From dating, to banking, to warfare, to even citizenship. You heard me right. Since 2015, Estonia has been handing out e-residencies for anyone that wants to become a citizen of the nation. By moving all of their government services to the digital era, citizens can now do all of their voting, banking, taxation, and more, all online.

Cybersecurity On Call: Securing the Fourth Platform with Peter Tran

Peter Tran is an advanced cyber defense technology, security operations practitioner and executive leader with over 18 years of demonstrated field experience focused on developing, implementing and growing cutting edge cyber counter threat and exploitation solutions and operations to address new innovations, applications and applied cyber defense methods. Peter has successfully defended some of the world’s top commercial brands and high value targets against Advanced Persistent Threats (APT).

He is a subject matter expert resource appearing on NBC, CBS, Fox News, Fox Business, Reuters TV, The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Harvard Business Review and Fast Company.

Cyber security expert questions Meta's latest move

Peter Tran

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