Twitter Shifts to $8 Monthly Fee for Blue Check Verification
Twitter starts promoting a new subscription plan that allows any user to purchase a blue verification checkmark for $7.99 per month. The company delays the official rollout until after the midterm elections due to concerns about potential disinformation.
Twitter begins advertising a new paid subscription service that offers the iconic blue check mark to any user for $7.99 per month. This update appears in Apple's app store just one day after the company executes widespread layoffs under new owner Elon Musk. Previously, the verification badge serves as a free tool to distinguish authentic accounts of public figures from impersonators.
Despite the name of the new Twitter Blue feature, the company does not specify any requirements to verify a user's authenticity beyond paying the monthly fee. In response to growing concerns about disinformation ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, Twitter delays the official launch of this system until November 9.
Musk warns that accounts engaging in impersonation without clearly labeling themselves as a parody face permanent suspension. This announcement follows a trend of users creating fake accounts mimicking the billionaire's name and profile photo, prompting the platform to take immediate action against these inauthentic profiles.