As new owner Elon Musk works to overhaul the platform’s verification system just prior to the U.S. midterm elections, Twitter has announced a subscription service for $7.99 per month that includes a blue check now given only to verified accounts.
Twitter said that users who “sign up now” for the new “Twitter Blue with verification” can receive the blue check next to their names “just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow” in an update for Apple iOS devices that are available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
In any case, Twitter worker Esther Crawford tweeted Saturday that the “new Blue isn’t as yet live — the run to our send off go on yet a few people might see us making refreshes in light of the fact that we are trying and pushing changes continuously.”At this point, it did not appear that verified accounts were losing their checks.
The subscription’s launch date was unknown at the time.In a tweet to The Associated Press, Crawford stated that it will arrive “soon but it hasn’t launched yet.”A message requesting a response was not immediately responded to by Twitter.
Musk tweeted Saturday in response to a question about the risk of impostors impersonating verified profiles, such as politicians and election officials, that “Twitter will suspend the account attempting impersonation and keep the money!” despite the fact that anyone being able to get the blue check could lead to confusion and the rise of disinformation ahead of Tuesday’s elections.
He stated, “So if scammers want to do this a million times, that’s just a lot of free money.”
However, a lot of people are concerned that the widespread layoffs that started on Friday could undermine the safeguards of content moderation and verification on the social platform that are utilized by public agencies, election boards, police departments, and news outlets to reliably inform the public.
The current verification system that Twitter introduced in 2009 to stop people from impersonating high-profile accounts like politicians and celebrities will be ended by the change.There are currently approximately 423,000 verified accounts on Twitter, many of which are everyday journalists from around the world that the company verified regardless of their number of followers.
Experts have expressed grave concerns regarding the disruption of the platform’s verification system, which has helped Twitter’s 238 million daily users determine whether the accounts from which they obtain information are genuine despite its flaws.Celebrities, athletes, and influencers are among the current verified accounts, as are international government agencies, politicians, journalists, activists, businesses, and brands, as well as Musk himself.
Jennifer Grygiel, an expert in social media and associate professor of communications at Syracuse University, stated, “He knows the blue check has value, and he’s trying to exploit it quickly.”Before he can sell them anything, he needs to gain their trust.Why would you purchase a vehicle from a salesperson who, from what you know, has essentially been chaotic?
