Listen to this article Starting On April Fools’ Day, Twitter Will Remove Verification Badges From Users Who Do Not Pay A Monthly Fee Of $8.
Introduction
Elon Musk’s Twitter account has announced plans to remove verification badges from individual accounts that do not pay for a Twitter Blue subscription. Twitter is set to phase out its previous verification program starting April 1, meaning accounts verified under the old criteria will lose their blue checkmark unless they subscribe to Twitter Blue.
Changes to Twitter Verification
Twitter has updated its verification process to limit abuse of the system. The company will stop deeming accounts notable based on the old criteria and, as a result, will no longer grant verification checkmarks to such accounts.Instead, the platform will only grant verification checkmarks to accounts that are eligible for a grey checkmark, such as government and multilateral accounts.
Potential for Scams
The change, which involves removing the blue checkmark from verified individuals who don’t subscribe to Twitter Blue, has raised concerns about potential negative consequences. Specifically, it could lead to an increase in fake accounts and scams. This is because scammers may be more likely to impersonate verified individuals who have lost their blue checkmark, which could lead to confusion and distrust among Twitter users.
Moreover, Twitter’s decision to wind down its legacy verification program has left many previously verified accounts at risk of losing their blue checkmark. This means that legitimate accounts may be mistaken for fake accounts, and vice versa. Without a blue checkmark, it will be difficult for Twitter users to distinguish between real and fake accounts, which could lead to a decrease in trust and credibility on the platform.
In the past, scammers have abused Twitter’s verification system, leading to a temporary halt of the paid verification scheme in November 2021.
Musk’s Previous Warnings
When paid checkmarks were first introduced, Musk reportedly ignored internal warnings from Twitter’s trust and safety team that scammers would abuse the feature. However, after just two days of the paid verification scheme being live, Musk temporarily halted it, stating that “tricking people is not OK.”
Updated Twitter Blue Features
Twitter Blue is now available globally, offering several perks, including prioritized ranking in conversations, half the amount of ads, longer Tweets, Bookmark Folders, custom navigation, Edit Tweet, and Undo Tweet. However, the prioritized ranking feature and reduced ads are not yet available.
Eligibility for Twitter Blue
To be eligible for Twitter Blue, an account must be older than 90 days upon subscription and have a confirmed phone number. The account must not have made recent changes to their profile photo, display name, or username. These rules aim to reduce abuse of the paid verification system.
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