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Meta, the company behind Facebook, is running a small-scale trial where profiles without a Meta Verified account could be restricted to sharing only two links to other sites per month.

The Trial's Parameters

This pilot program currently involves a selection of Facebook profiles operating in Professional Mode, which is typically utilized by creators and influencers to earn money from their posts. While news organizations are not part of this test, the long-term implications could be significant.

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

A History of Retreat

This move follows Meta's multi-year strategic withdrawal from hosting news content. Industry analysts point out that after ending deals to pay publishers and blocking news links in Canada, Meta has signaled strongly that news is no longer strategic.

Publishers previously faced a massive drop in online traffic following a policy change last year to show less news in favor of short-form and engaging video. Although visits were starting to rebound in 2024, it was still lower by approximately half compared to the previous year.

Driving Verified Sign-ups

The new test is understood to be a broader campaign to persuade people to sign up for Meta Verified. This paid tier costs from £9.99 to almost four hundred pounds monthly and offers extra features like a verified badge and improved account protection.

• A company representative said: "This is a small experiment to understand whether the option to post an increased volume of posts with links provides extra benefit for paying users."
• Analysts theorize this shift towards monetization may be linked to Meta's expensive ventures in other areas, like the virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

Could News Benefit Elsewhere?

Interestingly that in January, Meta stated it would take towards a more personalized approach for political content. Subsequent analysis indicated this could have resulted in more news content reappearing in feeds for some users.

For example, visitors referred by Facebook to certain newspaper websites was said to increase by a notable margin in the early months of this year.

Ultimately, this test highlights the ongoing tension between giant tech networks seeking new revenue streams and publishers that rely on them for readers and visibility.