Meta Tests User Fees for Sharing Links, Potentially Striking a Hard Blow to News Outlets
Facebook's parent company, Meta, is conducting a limited test where users without a Meta Verified account may be limited to sharing only two external web links per month.
Details of the Test
This pilot program currently involves a selection of Facebook profiles using Professional Mode features, which is typically utilized by content creators to earn money from their posts. Although publishers are excluded from this trial, the long-term implications could prove substantial.
"Beginning 16 December, certain Facebook profiles without Meta Verified will be limited to sharing two organic posts per month."
A History of Retreat
This move follows Meta's multi-year deliberately retreating from news distribution. Media consultants note that after ending deals to pay publishers and blocking news links in Canada, Meta has signaled strongly that news is no longer strategic.
Media companies previously faced a massive drop in website visitors following a 2023 decision to show less news in favor of more videos and viral content. While traffic had been recovering in 2024, it remained down by around 50% compared to the previous year.
The Push for Subscriptions
The new test is understood to be a wider effort to encourage users to sign up for Meta Verified. This subscription service ranges in price from £9.99 to nearly £400 monthly and offers extra features like a blue checkmark and improved account protection.
- A company representative said: "This is a small experiment to see if the option to post an increased volume of posts with links adds additional value for paying users."
- Some experts suggest this move to charge for reach may be connected with Meta's costly investments in other areas, like the metaverse and artificial intelligence.
A Potential Silver Lining?
Interestingly that earlier in the year, Meta announced a shift towards a more personalized approach for news and politics. Subsequent analysis indicated this may have led to increased publisher content showing up again for some users.
As one instance, traffic from Facebook to some major sites reportedly grew by a notable margin in the first part of 2025.
Ultimately, this trial underscores the ongoing tension between social media platforms seeking fresh income sources and publishers that rely on them for traffic and audience reach.
