To be verified on Twitter, it is possible you might have to pay for that blue check mark
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is now the sole owner of Twitter.
One of the business mogul’s first moves is charging almost $20 for verification through the platform’s subscription service, Twitter Blue.
“The whole verification process is being revamped right now,” Musk wrote in a tweet on Sunday.
Twitter employees tasked with working on the project were reportedly told to have the new paid verification feature ready by Nov. 7 or face termination, The Verge reported. Musk nor Twitter have commented on the report.
Twitter Blue launched to the public a year ago and offered users the ability to unlock additional features for just $4.99. In his new role, Musk is keen on growing subscriptions to become half of the company’s overall revenue, according to The Verge.
That includes charging users $19.99 to keep their verification badge, a blue check mark that indicates an account belonging to a public figure, official brand or authentic news source.
What was Twitter’s previous policy on verification?
Until recently, verification on the platform depended heavily on influence, merit, and eligibility, not payment. Twitter policy states that a user must meet at least some of the following notability requirements to score a verification badge:
News coverage — Provide news articles that are about or reference yourself or your organization multiple times in the article. The articles provided must be from verified news organizations.
Google Trends — Provide a link to a profile on Google Trends that depicts search history associated with you or your brand.
Wikipedia — Provide a link to a stable Wikipedia article about you or your organization that meets the encyclopedia’s notability standards.
Other industry-specific references — Depending on the category, Twitter may ask for more industry specific references such as a link to an IMDB page for entertainment.
Follower or mention Count — If the account applying for verification is detected to be in the top .05% of followers or mention count for its geographic location, it may count towards notability evidence.
According to Twitter’s current verification policy, paying for verification is prohibited.
“Twitter does not sell the blue Verification badge. A Twitter employee will never request financial compensation in exchange for a badge or as part of the application process,” the company stated. “Twitter does not authorize any external agents or individuals to sell Verification on the platform.”
Twitter reacts
One concern many users on the platform have expressed since news of the possible change broke is that the ability to pay for a blue check can lead to “bad actors” becoming trusted sources of information.
“The blue check on all platforms is useful for identifying misinformation and internet hoaxes,” one user wrote in a tweet on Monday. “A lot of bad actors would jump at the chance to pay for authenticity.”
“Forcing journalists to pay for verification seems like a generally bad idea for misinformation,” another user tweeted.
Most recently, notable horror novelist, Stephen King, tweeted that he’d quit the platform if he were forced to pay for verification, not because of the cost, but rather due to the “principle of the thing.”
Musk responded to King’s tweet by negotiating a price tag of $8 instead. It is unclear whether Musk’s comment was a legitimate offer.
This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
