Twitter will be revamping the way it verifies its users, potentially considering charging users for the coveted blue checkmark.
Elon Musk completed his takeover of Twitter with a $44 billion deal on October 27, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Since acquiring the social media platform, Musk has already initiated several changes, such as dismissing top executives and providing direction for logged-out users attempting to view the homepage.
Musk tweeted on October 30, “The whole verification process is being revamped right now.”
Musk’s statement was a response to John Kraus, a space flight photographer, who was seeking help with verification, tweeting, “Denied some 4-5 times despite large following and working to share spaceflight/rocket launches to the masses via my photography.”
The new owner has indicated that Twitter is considering up to a $20-a-month charge for users to become verified, although Musk has also thrown around lower fees, such as $8, in response to some pushback to the idea.
Under the current verification system, an account must be “authentic, notable, and active,” noting that individuals must “represent or otherwise be associated with a prominently recognized individual or brand.”
Users must also be in good standing with Twitter rules and have not had any violations within the past year. Users may then request verification but may be denied with a short notification that does not clarify why they were rejected.
Responding to concerns from users about the proposed authentication subscription, Musk tweeted that “I will explain the rationale in longer form before this is implemented. It is the only way to defeat the bots & trolls.”
Musk has also indicated that the way Twitter approaches other things, such as content moderation, will be changing as well, tweeting that “Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints. No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes.”
