Meta launches free Facebook Verified badge to fight AI-generated impersonation

Meta launched Facebook Verified on July 24, 2026, a free badge that confirms a profile belongs to a real person, using a short video selfie checked against the account’s existing profile photos.

Meta said the badge targets fake accounts and impersonation, a growing problem as generative tools make convincing fake profiles cheap to produce. The company stressed that the badge confirms identity only — it is not an endorsement or a guarantee of trustworthiness.

Eligibility is limited to users 18 and older who are in good standing with Meta’s Community Standards on fraud, scams and deceptive practices and show no signs of inauthentic behavior. The badge is unavailable for Pages and ProMode accounts and is rolling out first in select markets.

It will initially appear on Marketplace, Dating, Groups and profiles, with feed posts planned later — placing the check where impersonation and scams tend to do the most damage.

The trade-off is biometric: confirming real users through facial matching means routing video selfies through Meta’s systems, a step privacy-minded users may weigh against the anti-impersonation benefit. Meta’s announcement did not detail how long the selfie video is retained.