App verification comes to Facebook's platform
Facebook has launched another way for members to sift through the noise when it comes to the thousands of developer-created applications on its platform: a "verified app" badge.
It's sort of like the "verified merchant" status that PayPal awards: it's designed to signify that the application has met standards that deem it "respectful, transparent, and meet the guiding principles for trustworthiness," according to a statement from Facebook. Interested developers can apply for the verification process--a $375 fee--and if approved, will receive the virtual badge within a few weeks.
The "verified" badge will appear on an approved application's "About" page, as well as next to its listing in the application directory.
Plus, Facebook says that starting early next year there will be visibility benefits: access to more communication tools, and more prominent placement in members' activity feeds.
Some other social networks' developer platforms, like that of business network LinkedIn, require all apps to go through a verification process before they even go live. Facebook's platform, on the other hand, is open--though it has been known to be quick to pull down apps with potential security violations or intellectual property issues.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. 
