Facebook to charge for messages sent to non-friends

FACEBOOK users are to be charged up to £10 a time to message people who are not in their network of friends.

• The site will likely charge between 70p and £10 to contact users who are not in their ‘friends’ list

• Users will reportedly be charged more for contacting celebrities on the site

• Facebook have said that the system is intended to prevent spam

Facebook have said that the system is intended to prevent spam on the site.

It is likely that the site will charge between 70p and £10 to contact users who are not friends on the site, whilst users will reportedly be charged more to message celebrities.

A Facebook spokesman said: “The system of paying to message non-friends in their Facebook inbox is designed to prevent spam, while acknowledging that sometimes you might want to hear from people outside your immediate social circle.

“We are testing a number of price points in the UK and other countries to establish the optimal fee that signals importance. Part of that test involves charging higher amounts for public figures, based on the number of followers they have.

“This is still a test and these prices are not set in stone.”