Facebook Verified, distinguishing human users from AI accounts, cats, dogs, etc

Meta launched a free Facebook Verified badge on July 24, 2026, to distinguish human users from AI accounts and bots, requiring applicants to have an account in good standing and record a short video compared to previous selfies. The program raises questions about whether pets or AI-generated accounts could slip through verification.

Facebook Verified, distinguishing human users from AI accounts, cats, dogs, etc 27 July 2026 The basic, free, verification badge https://www.macrumors.com/2026/07/24/meta-launches-free-facebook-verified-badge/ , differs from the more familiar, paid for, Meta Verified blue badge. To qualify, applicants need to satisfy a number of requirements, including having a Facebook FB account that is in “good standing”. They will need to record a short video, which will be compared to selfies previously posted on their page. I don’t use FB much, but did encounter a number of people using pictures of their pet, say a cat or a dog, as an avatar. Will we then see animals with Facebook Verified badges on their pages? And how many AI-generated accounts might slip through the cracks, and end up being verified? RELATED CONTENT artificial intelligence https://disassociated.com/tag/artificial-intelligence/ , Facebook https://disassociated.com/tag/facebook/ , social media https://disassociated.com/tag/social-media/ , social networks https://disassociated.com/tag/social-networks/