Elon Musk Removes $8 Subscription Option, Reinstates ‘Official’ Account Badges
New Twitter boss Elon Musk decided to reinstate the coveted “official” blue badge to certain users, shortly after removing and replacing it with an $8 subscription option available to anyone.
On Friday, Twitter announced it’s bringing back the verification tick typically given to accounts of major personalities such as actors and politicians, several days after removing the option as per Musk’s instruction. In the meantime, as reported by Reuters, several Twitter users said the new $8 subscription option for the blue tick has disappeared. “Checked with Twitter’s API (application programming interface) and the in-app purchase for Twitter Blue Verified is no longer listed for production,” wrote app researcher Jane Manchun Wong in a tweet.
The sudden reversal comes after a plethora of parody accounts starting popping up on the platform, with users impersonating acclaimed individuals and even big brands such as Musk’s very own Tesla and SpaceX, as well as Nestle and Lockheed Martin. “To combat impersonation, we’ve added an ‘Official’ label to some accounts,” read Twitter’s “official” support account, which hasn’t been targeted by impersonators— yet.
Musk previously clarified that any account holders impersonating a verified account must specify it’s a parody or risk begin permanently suspended from the platform.
Information for this briefing was found via Reuters and Twitter. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
