Facebook To Charge People To Post Links
The Telegraph8 hrs
Facebook Tests Limiting External Links for Non-Verified Accounts
Is Meta Verified a predatory toll booth killing small publishers, or essential protection for serious creators?
Above: The Facebook logo appears on a smartphone screen. Image credit: Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto/Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Facebook’s current link-sharing test reinforces the value of Meta Verified, which provides essential tools that help creators and businesses build authentic connections while protecting their brands from impersonation and spam traffic. The subscription offers proactive monitoring to remove fake accounts, 24/7 enhanced support and upgraded profile features that boost engagement. These professional-grade services deliver real value for serious creators who want to establish credibility and efficiently reach their audiences.
Narrative B
Facebook's new pay-to-post scheme through Meta Verified is nothing more than a digital toll booth that will devastate small publishers, bloggers and businesses who can't afford subscription fees. This move compounds the damage already done by social platforms deliberately suppressing external links, which has already slashed news site referrals by 60% and cost hundreds of journalism jobs. Charging users to share basic web links transforms Facebook into a predatory platform that extracts money from creators while killing organic reach.
Narrative C
Meta's current link-sharing test is small, but it signals a major directional shift — link publishing could become a paywalled feature. The test explores whether verified accounts inspire more trust, boost confidence in shared links, and gain value from higher posting capacity. If expanded, this approach could redefine Facebook, making visibility and credibility increasingly tied to a subscription.