Musk Says Twitter Will Relaunch Verified Service Next Week
Twitter Verified is Musk’s attempt to distinguish between different classes of users, and drum up much needed revenue.
(Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk has said Twitter Inc will launch its new Verified services next Friday, after a series of delays and mishaps over fake accounts.
Twitter had earlier suspended the $8 subscription program to combat a growing problem of users impersonating major brands.
Twitter Verified is Musk’s attempt to distinguish between different classes of users, and drum up much needed revenue.
Companies will now receive a gold check mark, protecting them from accounts with blue check marks changing their name and photo to that of a brand.
During the initial roll out, one account claiming to be Nintendo Inc. posted an image of Super Mario holding up a middle finger, while another posing as pharma giant Eli Lilly & Co. tweeted that insulin was now free — forcing the company to issue an apology. A purported Tesla Inc. account joked about the carmaker’s safety record.
Grey check marks will be for government accounts. Musk didn’t specify whether this meant lawmakers or whether it related only to official government accounts such as the @GOVUK or @CIA. Individuals who pay for Twitter Verified will get blue check marks.
All verified accounts will be manually authenticated, a process which may be more complicated due to Twitter having lost over half its workforce after Musk slashed headcount.
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