Twitter is back selling blue ticks after a previous attempt turned into chaos
Twitter has resumed sales of its premium offering, Twitter Blue, which gives users a blue verification badge next to their name, after a week-long hiatus because some subscribers were using the paid service to impersonate known accounts.
After several postponements, the social network announced in a blog entry that Twitter Blue is now available. Users who pay $8 a month get a tick in a blue badge next to their profile pictures and can edit tweets, among other things.
Twitter said it will “take a number of other steps to detect and prevent identity theft,” including requiring users to have a valid phone number associated with their account. Users who change their username or photo will also lose their tick “until these changes are reviewed by Twitter.”
“Accounts violating our rules may be suspended without refund,” the blog reads.
Before billionaire Elon Musk privatized the company in late October, Twitter verified accounts with a blue badge to distinguish prominent users or those at risk of impersonation, including celebrities, musicians and journalists. But the verification process was also unclear, and Musk has criticized it as a “Lords & Peasants system”.
However, an initial attempt at the pay-for-verification system led to widespread impersonation, as users who bought Ticks changed their usernames to those of well-known brands and people, including Musk. The review process was temporarily suspended as the company tried to figure out how to fix the issue.
Musk is also taking a subtle jab at Apple Inc as part of the relaunch of Twitter Blue. The company charges users $11 a month if they sign up through the Twitter app for Apple’s iOS to use Apple’s in-app subscriptions. to recoup fees charged on purchases. Musk has repeatedly complained about these fees, calling them a “de facto global tax on the internet.”
Users who don’t pay for Twitter Blue will lose their verification badges “in a few months,” according to Musk tweeted Monday, although he has previously made similar statements.
The San Francisco-based company said it will also start offering different colored ticks, including a gold one for business accounts and a gray one for political accounts.
Our new weekly Impact Report newsletter explores how ESG news and trends are shaping the roles and responsibilities of today’s leaders. Subscribe here.
