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

The Trial's Parameters

This pilot program at present includes a subset of Facebook pages operating in Professional Mode, which is often used by creators and influencers to monetize their posts. While news organizations are not part of this test, the broader impact could prove substantial.

"Starting 16 December, some Facebook accounts without Meta Verified will be limited to sharing two free posts per month."

A History of Retreat

This move follows years of Meta strategic withdrawal from hosting news content. Industry analysts note that after ending deals to pay publishers and blocking news links in Canada, Meta has made it clear that news is no longer strategic.

Media companies previously faced a steep decline 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 seen as part of a wider effort to persuade people to sign up for Meta Verified. This subscription service costs from £9.99 to almost four hundred pounds monthly and offers extra features like a blue checkmark and enhanced security.

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

Could News Benefit Elsewhere?

It is worth noting that in January, Meta announced a shift towards a tailored feed for political content. Subsequent analysis indicated this may have led to increased publisher content reappearing in feeds for some users.

For example, visitors referred by Facebook to some major sites was said to increase by a notable margin in the early months of this year.

Ultimately, this trial underscores the ongoing tension between giant tech networks seeking fresh income sources and publishers that rely on them for readers and visibility.