Facebook plans to charge users for sharing links: details
20 December 2025 16:11
Meta has started limited testing of a new system that significantly limits the ability of Facebook users to post external links for free.
This was reported by The Guardian, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the new rules, owners of professional profiles and pages that do not have a paid Meta Verified subscription will be able to post only two links per month.
To remove this limit, users are offered a subscription, which starts at £9.99 per month.
A blow to publishers
Although official news organizations are currently excluded from the test, this move could be a serious challenge for the media market. The restriction prevents ordinary users and content creators from sharing news freely, which threatens publishers with a further drop in traffic.
This is happening amid an existing crisis: after the Meta algorithms were changed in 2023, the number of visits to news sites from Facebook almost halved.
Experts see this experiment as an attempt by the company to maximize monetization of its reach on its outdated platforms.
Platform priorities and prospects
The introduction of link limits is part of an aggressive campaign to promote the Meta Verified service, which promises enhanced security and additional features.
Analysts point out that Meta has been deliberately distancing itself from news content for several years in a row, preferring entertainment videos.
The refusal to distribute links for free emphasizes the platform’s transition to a model where access to the audience and the ability to distribute external content must be paid for.
