After it was leaked that Twitter had devalued it by 50%, Elon Musk announced a plan to force users to pay to access one of the platform’s most popular functions. The owner of the social network revealed that starting in April, only verified accounts will appear in the “For You” recommendations – users’ current timeline.
“Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible for For You recommendations,” Musk wrote on Twitter. “This is the only way to deal with swarms of bots. Otherwise it’s a losing battle. Voting in polls would require verification for the same reason.”
The For You timeline launched in January, giving users the option to view popular tweets from users they don’t follow back.
Twitter first launched verified accounts in 2009 to identify celebrities, politicians, companies, brands, news organizations, and other “public interest” accounts. The company has not previously charged a fee for verification.
Last week, Elon already reported that verified accounts without Twitter Blue will have their blue badge removed. The announcement was made last Thursday evening (23/3) through the official Twitter page. Removal will start from April 1st. Users who wish to keep their verification process will need to pay for Twitter Blue.
Despite these changes to individual profiles, accounts of organizations, companies, government agencies, or NGOs will not be affected at this time. However, these accounts must apply to obtain a specific verified badge.
With the launch of Twitter Blue, only subscribers will be able to request a blue badge. According to the company’s website, the social network will not accept new verification requests based on the old standards.
When announcing the new service in November 2022, Elon Musk stated that the paid plan also offers other benefits. Among them: priority in responses, mentions and searches, the ability to post long videos and audio recordings, and reduce the amount of advertising.
Musk’s verification policy has raised concerns about misinformation on the site, as almost anyone willing to pay the price can try to impersonate a public figure under the guise of verification. However, Twitter has taken steps to prevent this by reviewing Twitter Blue accounts before verification is granted.
Twitter Blue subscriptions are paid monthly or annually, starting at $8 per month or $84 per year in available countries. More than a few streaming platforms.
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