Facebook is testing a system that charges users for sharing web links, in a move that could prove to be a further blow to news outlets and other publishers.
Meta, the social media platform’s owner, said it is carrying out a “limited test” in which those without a paid Meta Verified subscription, costing at least £9.99 a month, can only post two external links a month.
The test appears to involve a subset of Facebook pages and user profiles on Professional Mode, which includes features used by content creators to monetise their posts.
News organisations are not included in the test. However, the move could hit newsrooms and other media publishers as it may stop their users from sharing their content.
The latest trial is part of a campaign to find ways of encouraging Facebook users to sign up to Meta Verified, which costs from £9.99 up to almost £400 per month per profile depending on the tier. It offers extra account features and security.
We have a pump in the basement that gives us water pressure, I had thought it died. There are no spigots or faucets before the pump to test. We were stressing because that damn thing is 1500 dollars and we struggle to buy food. There could also be a broken pipe from the street to the house. Having more information to diagnose where the issue was coming from was helpful.
Facebook was the only source of info, we even called the water company, no one picked up and voicemail recording said nothing. Local news is only available at certain times of day and comes from a city close by so local things like a recent water main breakage wouldnt be covered unless its been over 24 hours. Same with radio stations around here. Our town is too small for anyone to give a shit reporting on something small like that unless it gets worse.