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Facebook's parent company, Meta, is running a small-scale trial where profiles without a Meta Verified account could be restricted to sharing only two external web links per month.

Details of the Test

This experiment currently involves a selection of Facebook profiles using Professional Mode features, which is typically utilized by content creators to earn money from their posts. While news organizations are not part of this test, the long-term implications could prove substantial.

"Starting 16 December, some Facebook accounts without Meta Verified will be restricted to posting two organic posts per month."

A History of Retreat

This move follows years of Meta strategic withdrawal from hosting news content. Industry analysts note that after withdrawing from publisher payments and blocking news links in Canada, Meta has signaled strongly that news is not a priority.

Media companies already experienced a steep decline in website visitors 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 remained down by approximately half compared to the previous year.

Driving Verified Sign-ups

This latest trial is seen as part of a wider effort to persuade people to sign up for Meta Verified. This subscription service costs from £9.99 to nearly £400 monthly and offers extra features like a verified badge and enhanced security.

• A company representative said: "This is a limited test to understand whether the ability to publish an increased volume of posts with links adds additional value for paying users."
• Analysts theorize this shift towards monetization may be connected with Meta's costly investments in other areas, like the metaverse and artificial intelligence.

A Potential Silver Lining?

It is worth noting that in January, Meta stated it would take towards a more personalized approach for news and politics. Subsequent analysis indicated this could have resulted in increased publisher content reappearing in feeds for some users.

As one instance, visitors referred by Facebook to certain newspaper websites was said to increase significantly in the first part of 2025.

Ultimately, this test highlights the ongoing tension between social media platforms seeking new revenue streams and news organizations that depend upon them for traffic and audience reach.