After Twitter’s first launch of its “power to the people” verification system flopped, Elon Musk stated that a new multicolored verification system would likely be rolled out next week.
The CEO of Twitter stated that, under this proposal, companies would be given a gold checkmark. At the same time, government officials would receive a grey checkmark—likely similar to the “official” badge it’s currently experimenting with certain well-known accounts. The blue checkmark on Twitter will now be available to regular users who are not celebrities and have verified accounts. You must either have a legacy account or pay the new $8 monthly fee to get the blue checkmark.
Musk clarified that the company plans to have all verifications checked and confirmed by a real person before the new system goes live. This process is necessary to prevent any false or misleading information from circulating. It’s not entirely clear what Musk means by this, as Twitter Blue subscribers will receive a blue checkmark next to their name. With reduced workforce numbers, it will be difficult for Twitter to check every verification request manually. Musk continued explaining that people can have a second small logo to show if they are part of a chosen organization. The organizations would also verify that the person is in some way representing them or working with them. He decided to blue checkmark all individual accounts as notability for a person is subjective.
Earlier this month, Musk announced that the revamped Twitter Blue program would resume on November 29, 2022. However, Musk stated that Twitter would not be going ahead with its plans to use multiple colors for verification until there is a reduction in the number of imposters. This is the first time Twitter has officially discussed using multiple colors for its verification system. It’s unclear whether the new verification scheme will go into effect when Twitter Blue launches. However, it is most likely that this verification process is only available for existing verified accounts belonging to companies and government officials and not for paid subscribers. Last week, Twitter instituted a new rule that bans any new accounts from buying a Twitter Blue subscription for the first 90 days after creation. The company did this to cut down on spam and fake accounts.
After Twitter introduced its new verification program on November 9, 2022, many users created fake accounts pretending to be well-known celebrities or brands. This caused such an adverse reaction that Twitter immediately stopped the project. Hence, Musk is working diligently to stop this from happening again.
Based on the result of a recent poll, Musk says that Twitter will offer a “general amnesty” to all suspended accounts next week.
