Twitter Overhauls Verification With $8 Monthly Blue Checkmark Subscription
Twitter introduces an $8 monthly subscription that allows any user to purchase a blue checkmark previously reserved for verified accounts. The abrupt policy shift sparks widespread concern over potential disinformation ahead of US midterm elections.
Twitter launches a new subscription service that allows any user to receive a blue checkmark for $7.99 a month. Previously, this verification badge is reserved exclusively for authentic accounts of celebrities, politicians, and journalists to prevent impersonation. The update currently appears on Apple iOS devices, inviting everyday users to sign up and receive the same icon as the high-profile figures they follow.
The timing of this overhaul raises serious concerns as it arrives just days before the United States midterm elections. Experts warn that the paid verification system easily enables bad actors to impersonate politicians and election officials, which accelerates the spread of dangerous disinformation. This sudden shift threatens the reliability of a platform that public agencies, news outlets, and police departments heavily depend on for urgent communication.
This change effectively ends Twitter's original verification system that launches in 2009 to protect high-profile users. Before this overhaul, Twitter hosts approximately 423,000 verified accounts, including many rank-and-file journalists. As the platform simultaneously experiences widespread layoffs, critics fear that weakening both content moderation and verification standards transforms the social network into a lawless space for its 238 million daily users.