Facebook angers devs with app verification scheme

$375 fee not popular

20 November 2008 9:08 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Facebook's just announced Application Verification Program is facing a storm of criticism from angry developers.

The new programme lets developers get their application okayed by Facebook based on trustworthiness, transparency and usefulness, resulting in a seal of approval from the social networking company.

But, developers hoping for the new level of approval for thier applications must pay Facebook a fee of $375. The certification lasts for a year, after which they must pay the same again for another 12 months.

Developers posting on the Facebook forum are not happy with the scheme: "Is this a joke? How many hours will it take to review each app? To make matters worse, that fee only covers 12 months of verification", states one dev.

"This seems unfair. My application is already 'well designed,' 'trustworthy' and 'meaningful' to thousands of users. I've spent a lot of time making it that way", says another.

"Why should I pay $375 a year just because Facebook allowed so many useless, spammy applications in the first place?"

Full tags

Software, Websites, Facebook