By bizn_fun 
Alongside other social platforms such as LinkedIn, Meta has encouraged users to verify themselves as a way to unlock more features or engagement on its platforms.
Elon Musk overhauled Twitter’s verification scheme after he bought the platform in 2022 – with X’s blue verified ticks reserved for those who pay, and giving holders a boosted presence in replies to posts and on its For You feed.
This has proved controversial, with the EU fining it €120m (£105m) in December.
Nonetheless, Mark Zuckerberg’s company Meta rolled out a similar scheme shortly thereafter.
It said it would also echo Musk’s changes at X with a “community notes” tool for users to label misleading posts, after making cuts to moderation and fact checkers.
Facebook told tech news publication TechCrunch, external its link-limiting test extended to a select group of users of its “professional mode” or Pages.
The features are used by many creators and businesses to promote content on the platform and gain insights into how it has performed with users.
“For creators it reinforces a pretty brutal reality that Facebook is no longer a reliable traffic engine and Meta is increasingly nudging it away from people trying to use it as one,” Mr Navarra said.
He said it also served as a reminder that “Meta will always optimise for Meta, first”.
“Tests like this underline why building a business that’s overly dependent on any one platform’s goodwill is incredibly risky,” he said.