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Dennis Itumbi supports removal of blue verified badge of non-paying Twitter users


Dennis Itumbi has expressed his support for the move by Twitter to remove its signature blue checkmark from verified users who have not signed up for its paid subscription service, Twitter Blue.

Since April 20, 2023, Twitter has removed blue checkmarks from high-profile users who did not pay a monthly fee.

Itumbi, a renowned blogger who was recently appointed Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) by President William Ruto, revealed he had subscribed to Twitter Blue, paying Sh1,040 monthly, while backing Elon Musk’s vision for content monetization on the platform.

Itumbi stated that he chose to subscribe to Twitter Blue to support Musk’s push for the platform’s monetization, emphasizing that he wants Kenya to benefit from Twitter’s content monetization strategy. He believes that by helping Twitter businesses make money, more opportunities for growth and revenue will become available for users.

“I paid for @TwitterBlue– Shillings 1, 040 was worth it. I did because on the back-end, I am pushing for Kenya to benefit from Twitter Content Monetization. To do that, @TwitterBusiness must make money, too. I therefore support @elonmusk on that front by tweets and by action,” he posted on Twitter.

Twitter is proposing a pricing model where individuals would be charged $8 per month for web usage while organizations would need to pay $1,000 per month. Additionally, organizations would have to pay an extra $50 per month for each affiliate or employee account.

The implementation of the new verification process has led to significant changes on the platform. Notable public figures such as Beyoncé, Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey, and former President Donald Trump lost their blue checkmarks on Thursday. The fee to maintain the verification status now ranges from $8 a month for individual users to a starting price of $1,000 monthly for organizations, with an additional $50 monthly fee for each affiliate or employee account.

The change has been met with mixed reactions from high-profile users. Some celebrities, like LeBron James, Stephen King, and William Shatner, have opted to pay for verification, while others have expressed reluctance. This shift in Twitter’s policy has sparked a heated debate about the implications of monetizing the verification process and the impact it will have on users and the platform’s overall credibility.

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