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Meta, the company behind Facebook, is running a small-scale trial where profiles without a Meta Verified account may be limited to posting just two links to other sites per month.

The Trial's Parameters

This experiment at present includes a subset of Facebook pages using Professional Mode features, which is often used by creators and influencers to monetize their posts. Although publishers are excluded from this trial, the broader impact could be significant.

"Beginning 16 December, certain Facebook profiles without Meta Verified will be restricted to posting two free posts per month."

A History of Retreat

This action comes after years of Meta strategic withdrawal from hosting news content. Industry analysts note that after ending deals to pay publishers and restricting news sharing in Canada, Meta has signaled strongly that news is no longer strategic.

Media companies already experienced a steep decline in online traffic following a 2023 decision to show less news in favor of short-form and engaging video. Although visits were starting to rebound in 2024, it remained down by around 50% compared to the previous year.

Driving Verified Sign-ups

This latest trial is seen as part of a wider effort to persuade people to subscribe to Meta Verified. This paid tier costs from £9.99 to nearly £400 monthly and offers extra features like a blue checkmark and improved account protection.

• Meta's spokesperson stated: "This is a small experiment to understand whether the option to post an greater number of posts with links adds additional value for paying users."
• Some experts suggest this move to charge for reach may be linked to Meta's costly investments in other areas, like the metaverse and AI.

Could News Benefit Elsewhere?

It is worth noting that earlier in the year, Meta stated it would take towards a more personalized approach for news and politics. Subsequent analysis indicated this may have led to more news content showing up again for some users.

As one instance, traffic from Facebook to certain newspaper websites was said to increase by a notable margin in the early months of this year.

In the end, this trial underscores the ongoing tension between giant tech networks seeking fresh income sources and news organizations that depend upon them for readers and visibility.