Update: Facebook de-friends its App Verification Program

IDG News Service - Facebook has abruptly decided to pull the plug on its Application Verification program, which let external developers pay to have their applications certified as exceeding certain requirements.

The company made the announcement on Wednesday evening, as it unveiled a roadmap of upcoming changes to its application development platform.

"We're retiring the formerly optional Application Verification brand, submission process, fees and badge; the program's higher standards will be required and applications will be subject to review at any time," wrote Facebook official Ethan Beard in a blog post.

David Stillwell, who had his My Personality application verified, expects that the program's closing will reduce his application's visibility.

Although Stillwell got no advance notice from Facebook, the decision didn't surprise him because he felt the company never got enthusiastically behind the program.

"Facebook didn't do a very good job of promoting the program anyway and users didn't know about it, so I can understand why they decided to remove it," Stillwell, who is pursuing a PhD in the U.K., said via e-mail.

Announced in November of last year, the program drew boos early on from critics who felt it would unfairly benefit developers able to afford the review fee, while affecting programmers without deep pockets.

Critics also said that the program put the financial burden on developers for a review process that Facebook should be doing as a matter of course for all external applications on its site.

At the time, Facebook defended the program, characterizing it as an option for developers who wanted their applications to stand out as exceeding the basic guidelines and policies Facebook requires of all applications.

Facebook also argued that the program would promote trust among users who needed extra assurance about the safety of adopting applications built by external developers.

As criticism quieted down and the program started rolling, participating developers reported being generally satisfied with it, and said the benefits of earning the "verified" badge for their applications far outweighed the cost and hassle of submitting them for review.

Now, Facebook has done an about-face with its decision to scrap the program, halting immediately its review process. The review fee -- US$375 for a year's certification, or $175 for students and nonprofits -- will be refunded in full for applications not yet certified, and on a prorated basis for those already approved.

Facebook will yank the Verified Application program badge on Dec.1 from applications that earned it, along with the benefits that came with it, such as higher visibility in the application directory, broader permissions for applications to issue notifications and requests, a $100 credit for developers to advertise on the site and registration discounts to the company's developer events.