The new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk is reportedly considering to start charging verified users a monthly $20 fee to keep their blue tick verification badge.
Musk, who completed his $44m takeover of Twitter last Thursday, October 27, will soon start charging verified users $19.99 monthly for the blue check mark verifying the authenticity of an account, The Verge reported.
According to The Verge, verified Twitter users will be given 90 days to pay the sum for their blue tick before they lose their verification checkmarks.
It was gathered that employees working on the project were told on Sunday that they need to meet a deadline of November 7, to launch the feature or they will be fired.
The blue tick is seen by some as a status symbol. To qualify, accounts must be “notable, authentic and active.” That includes accounts of government officials; people representing prominent brands; news organizations and journalists; activists; celebrities; athletes and others.
The new changes for verified accounts will, reportedly, be introduced under ‘Twitter Blue’ as part of the premium service that will be rolled out under Elon Musk’s leadership.
“The whole verification process is being revamped right now,” Musk tweeted Sunday.
Twitter Blue, which costs $4.99 monthly is the microblogging platform’s paid monthly subscription which offers users exclusive access to premium features such as the option to edit a tweet, undo a tweet, and read news ad-free.
Twitter Blue, which was launched in 2021, is only available in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It’s currently unclear what will happen to verified users in countries where the service is unavailable.
A source said “Must seems to think his changes to Twitter Blue will help increase the company’s profits. Yet if Twitter does make verification a paid feature, it’s likely that many accounts will simply let their verified status expire with no remorse.”
Twitter representatives didn’t respond to a request for comment.
KanyiDaily recalls that Elon Musk had also sacked three top Twitter executives, a few hours after completing the acquisition of the social media platform.
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