Elon Musk recently announced that soon Twitter will only suggest verified accounts and those that are subscribed to Twitter Blue on its “For You” feed. Additionally, users that pay Elon for verification will not be able to vote in polls, a popular feature on the platform.
The Verge reports that Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, announced on Monday night that as of April 15, users will no longer be recommended on the platform’s “For You” page unless they have verified accounts. This means that only companies, government entities, and Twitter Blue subscribers will have the opportunity to appear in the feeds of users who don’t follow them.
(AP Photo/John Raoux; BNN Edit)
According to Musk in a tweet, the modification is “the only practical way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over.” Verified users will also be the sole accounts allowed to vote in polls “for the same reason,” according to Musk.
Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations.
The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.
Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 27, 2023
Musk has already announced plans to begin dismantling the “legacy” verified system. It’s important to remember that Musk’s tweets have historically not always resulted in implemented rules or features, which has caused some people to view this announcement with skepticism.
For example, Musk previously stated that Twitter would begin sharing ad revenue with Blue subscribers in February, but nearly two months later, this feature still hasn’t been implemented. He also pledged to open-source the company’s algorithm by March 5, which has not occurred, although Musk now claims it will happen on March 31 without acknowledging the previous deadline.
Musk proposed that only Blue subscribers would be able to vote in policy polls before he ended his policy-making method of asking the public for feedback on significant changes to the service. While Musk no longer seeks community input in the same way, this latest announcement indicates a continued focus on providing exclusive privileges to verified users and Twitter Blue subscribers.
Read more at the Verge here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan