Elon Musk tweeted on Friday that Twitter will bring back its “verified” subscription service next week, where different colored check marks will indicate different types of accounts. The tweet is the latest in the “verified” saga after the implementation of Twitter Blue.
Sorry for the delay, we’re tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week.
Gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates.
Painful, but necessary.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022
Musk, who acquired Twitter in a $44 billion deal in October, tweeted that the new verification system will have different colored check marks for different types of accounts, with gold checks designated for official accounts for organizations.
Gray-colored check marks will be used for government accounts and blue check marks for individuals, regardless of if they are celebrities or notable people. Musk also tweeted that all verified accounts will be authenticated manually.
Musk called the move “painful but necessary.”
Twitter was forced to pause the $8 blue check subscription option days after it was launched earlier this month after people used the service to impersonate companies, governments, politicians, and celebrities.
According to the Washington Post, an account impersonating drug company Eli Lily that tweeted false claims about offered medications lead to company wide panic. Eli Lily has stopped advertising on Twitter indefinitely.
Not long after the $8 check was implemented, Musk tweeted that Twitter accounts that are impersonating others need to clearly state they are parody accounts, or they will be permanently banned from the app. Twitter also made it more difficult for accounts to change their name or account heading.
On Monday, Musk announced $8 check marks would be relaunched later. His tweets on Friday give some indication as to what the relaunch might look be.
The subscription service was an attempt by Musk to establish a new stream of revenue for the social media company that, before his takeover, had run primarily on advertising revenue.
However, since Musk’s acquisition, several major companies have stopped advertising on the platform, potentially costing Twitter millions in revenue. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that a third of Twitter’s top 100 marketers have not advertised on the site in the last two weeks. Volkswagen, General Motors and other brands have all suspended advertising on the platform.
