{"id":225,"date":"2022-12-12T08:24:56","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T08:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/twitters-paid-blue-tick-re-launches-after-pause\/"},"modified":"2022-12-12T08:24:56","modified_gmt":"2022-12-12T08:24:56","slug":"twitters-paid-blue-tick-re-launches-after-pause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/twitters-paid-blue-tick-re-launches-after-pause\/","title":{"rendered":"Twitter’s paid blue tick re-launches after pause"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twitter’s paid blue tick re-launches after pause<\/p>\n

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\"Twitter<\/picture><\/span>Twitter<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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By Zoe Kleinman<\/div>\n
Technology editor<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Twitter’s paid-for verification feature is rolling out once again on Monday. It was paused last month after being swamped by impersonators.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It is still $8 per month – but there is now an increased fee of $11 for those using the Twitter app on Apple devices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Twitter’s owner Elon Musk has previously said in tweets that he resents the commission fee Apple charges on in-app purchases.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Twitter Blue’s additional features include an edit button.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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This has long been a feature requested by many Twitter users, although there are others who argue that it increases the potential for the spread of disinformation, if a tweet is altered after being widely shared.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Blue-tick subscribers will also see fewer ads, have their tweets amplified above others, and be able to post and view longer, better quality videos, the platform says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Previously a blue tick was used as verification tool for high-profile accounts as a badge of authenticity. It was given out by Twitter for free – but only the firm itself decided who got one. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Musk argues that this was unfair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Those who had a blue tick under the previous regime currently still have them, but now some of these users also have a message which appears if the tick is pressed saying the account is a “legacy verified account” and “may or may not be notable”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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However, those check marks will now eventually be replaced with either gold (for businesses) or grey (for others such as authorities) badges, according to Twitter’s own account.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Under the new system, subscribers who change their names or display photos will lose their blue tick until the account has been reviewed by Twitter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Fake accounts<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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The service had a chaotic initial launch in November, when people started impersonating big brands and celebrities and paying for the blue-tick badge in order to make them look authentic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Many pretended to be Elon Musk himself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In one instance, a user claiming to be the US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly tweeted “insulin is free”, causing the real firm’s share price to tumble – however, Eli Lilly has since agreed that insulin prices could indeed be lower.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Having said that, anecdotally, quite a few accounts appeared to take the opportunity to subscribe for legitimate reasons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Twitter changes<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Elon Musk has made a number of sweeping changes since he took over Twitter at the end of October after buying it for $44bn (\u00a338bn). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He said the firm was operating at a loss of $4m per day, and that it needed to become profitable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He has laid-off around half its workforce, introduced bedrooms at Twitter HQ in San Francisco for the remaining staff working long hours, and begun re-instating controversial banned accounts, including the rapper Ye (Kanye West), former US president Donald Trump and influencer Andrew Tate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Musk also says Twitter accounts which have been inactive for a certain period of time will be deleted. This has caused dismay among those who say they cherish the accounts of loved ones who have died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Film director Rod Lurie tweeted that his “heart was broken” at the thought of the account of his late son, Hunter, disappearing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Unlike Facebook, Twitter users cannot nominate someone to take control of their account after their death although state executors can contact the firm with requests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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You can follow Zoe Kleinman on Twitter <\/i>@zsk.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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More on this story<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n