Twitter to charge Sh2,200 for verified accounts
Twitter’s new management is reportedly planning to charge users on the platform to earn the coveted badge via a Twitter Blue subscription.
This would essentially mean charging users a monthly Sh2,200 ($20) fee to keep their blue tick badge.
New owner Elon Musk said in a tweet on Sunday, just days after he took over one of the world’s most influential social media platforms.
“Whole verification process is being revamped right now”, Musk said in his tweet without giving more details.
Twitter’s proposed changes could allow those who aren’t verified to essentially purchase the coveted blue tick badge. Currently, Twitter only grants verified status to notable accounts from a “prominently recognized individual or brand.”
According to a report by The Verge, Twitter accounts that already have the verification will have to comply with this new mechanism and pay up for the blue tick.
The report suggests that verified users will have a total of 90 days to move to Twitter Blue or they will end up losing their checkmark. Additionally, Twitter employees have been asked to move fast on this new subscription plan or pack and leave. The employees have been given a deadline of November 7, according to the report.
Twitter Blue was introduced last year and it is an opt-in, paid monthly subscription that offers exclusive access to premium features. Twitter claims this will let you customize your Twitter experience
It is to be seen how Musk plans to roll out this service globally while changing the entire payment structure. In the eligible regions, Twitter Blue is available for in-app purchases on Twitter for iOS and Android.
Verification is meant to let “people know that an account of public interest is authentic. To receive the blue badge, your account must be authentic, notable, and active.”
There is no charge to be verified, as it is meant to simply be a way to stop accounts from impersonating you if your account has been proven to be of public interest.
It is currently unclear if this new plan will verify everyone who has a Twitter Blue subscription or if only those who subscribe will be considered for verification.
Musk has been outspoken with his desire to address how Twitter verifies accounts and handles its bot problems, and he tweeted on Sunday, October 30, that “the whole verification process is being revamped right now.”
Twitter Blue was launched in June last year as the platform’s first subscription service, which offers “exclusive access to premium features” on a monthly subscription basis including an option to edit tweets.
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