Meta charges city library $50 for Facebook links despite exemption pledge

The Greenville, Texas, city library exhausted its two free Facebook links for October, leaving the page unable to share new external URLs until November without a paid upgrade. Daniel Starks, the city's communications manager, confirmed the restriction on Thursday. He said the library page, which Meta has verified as a government building, received a notice that any additional links would require a Meta One subscription costing at least $50 per month.

Starks manages roughly a dozen Facebook pages for the city of 35,000. He told staff to stop placing links in main posts and instead paste them in the comments section. He also created a graphic to inform followers of the change. Starks noted that more than half of the city's digital communication relies on directing residents to its website. He described the situation as problematic for a government entity trying to disseminate urgent information.

Small nonprofits are experiencing the same limitations. Bethany English, co-president of the East Side Pawject in Indianapolis, discovered last week that she could not include her website link in an event post because the monthly allowance was depleted. The organization has nearly 1,000 followers and uses the platform to coordinate pet food pantries. English said the "expert" plan, which allows 20 links, costs $150 monthly. She is considering using dedicated Facebook events or asking board members to share links from their personal profiles, which are exempt from the cap.

Meta has tested paid link sharing for nearly a year, initially under Meta Verified and now integrated into its Meta One tiers. The $14.99 plan offers no extra Facebook links. The $49.99 tier allows eight links per month, while the $149.99 tier allows 20. Only the $499.99 tier provides unlimited links. Jeff Bannister, marketing manager at the North Carolina nonprofit SparkPoint, called the $50 price for eight links excessive. He said the return on investment appears negative and is exploring ways for local groups to share information outside the platform.

Confusion persists over how the rules apply. Some users can post links in comments while others cannot, and Meta's help center does not explicitly state that the link restriction is a test. David Diskin, president of California Freethought Day, was told of the limit days before an event in Sacramento. He was quoted prices ranging from $40 for eight links to $399 for unlimited. The restriction was lifted this week without explanation, after his organization's major fundraiser had concluded.

A Meta spokesperson said the company is testing whether link sharing should be part of the Meta One subscription. In an update on October 23, the spokesperson stated that pages must list "nonprofit" in the category section for Meta's systems to recognize their status. It remains unclear why organizations that use Meta's fundraising tools or list their status elsewhere are not identified.

The city library and several nonprofits are currently operating under these constraints or have just had them lifted. Starks continues to monitor the city's other pages for similar notices. English plans to rely on personal profiles for the next event. Meta has not announced when the test will conclude or how it will expand.