Elon Musk’s Twitter recently announced that it will soon end its legacy verification system and remove users’ blue checkmarks if they don’t pay for the Twitter Blue subscription service.
NBC News reports that Twitter has announced that it will end its legacy verification system that provided blue checkmarks to accounts deemed authentic and in the public interest. The social media firm revealed on Thursday that the former system will be phased out starting on April 1. The Twitter Blue subscription service, which was introduced last year, serves as the platform’s new verification system.
Hannibal Hanschke-Pool/Getty Images/BBN Edit)
In the past, the verification program was created for notable people on Twitter, such as celebrities, government figures, journalists, and others, but was inconsistent and biased against conservatives. The verification of news feeds, fan accounts, parodies, and similar accounts was not permitted. However, the new Twitter Blue system will change the requirements for receiving a blue check mark by no longer requiring accounts to be accepted by leftist Silicon Valley employees.
Users also have the option to edit and delete tweets with Twitter Blue, a service that costs $8 per month. The company’s CEO, Elon Musk unveiled the subscription service soon after purchasing Twitter in October. According to Musk, Twitter Blue will boost revenue while reducing bot and trolling activity. The service was temporarily suspended shortly after its launch due to people using the new blue checkmarks to impersonate celebrities and brands, but was relaunched in December.
Despite the change in verification requirements, the sudden change might not be as significant as first thought. Musk assured users that those “affiliated with a verified organization” would still be verified in a tweet early on Friday morning. This suggests that many professionals who use Twitter might keep their current verification checkmarks or get new ones as a result of the system update.
It is unclear how switching to Twitter Blue, a subscription-based verification service, will affect the platform’s user experience and the perceived worth of the coveted blue checkmarks.
Read more at NBC News here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan