Elon Musk Nixes 'Official' Label for Already Verified Twitter Accounts, Says Blue Check Will Be 'the Great Leveler' [Updated]

[MacRumors]

Twitter will not be moving forward with an "Official" label that would be used to identify companies, major media outlets, public figures, and others who are in danger of being impersonated on the social network, Twitter CEO Elon Musk said today.

Just hours after Twitter began rolling out the "Official" checkmark that was provided to some accounts alongside the standard white and blue verification badge, Musk said that he has "killed" the feature.

"Blue check will be the great leveler," Musk added in another tweet. The white checkmark on a blue background was traditionally provided to higher-profile accounts that went through a verification process, but with Musk's takeover of Twitter, the badge will be provided to all Twitter Blue subscribers who pay $7.99 per month for a Twitter Blue subscription.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1590383539610324992

When the checkmark becomes available to any Twitter subscriber who pays, there will no longer be any kind of identity verification system on Twitter, which some users have expressed concerns about.

Twitter product executive Esther Crawford explained the two-badge system just yesterday, explaining that Twitter would add an "Official" label to select accounts. Government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers, and some public figures were going to be provided with the now-defunct "Official" label.

It is not clear if Twitter will implement some other method for differentiating between account types and providing identity verification, but it sounds like Musk will not allow such a feature. Musk has said that any Twitter handles "engaging in impersonation" without a clear parody label would be "permanently suspended," a move he enacted after verified users began changing their names to Elon Musk.

Update: Crawford now claims that the official label is still going out as part of the launch of Twitter Blue, but Twitter is focusing on "government and commercial entities to begin with. She says that what Musk meant is that Twitter is not focusing on giving the "Official" label to individuals. As of right now, though, the official labels that were provided to some accounts earlier today have been removed and have not been reinstated as of yet. There is no word on when the labels will return, nor if this is indeed what Musk meant.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1590388608359628800

Article Link: Elon Musk Nixes 'Official' Label for Already Verified Twitter Accounts, Says Blue Check Will Be 'the Great Leveler' [Updated]

 

[dantracht]

I never thought I’d see anyone or anything more indecisive and back and forth as my ex, but Twitter said hold my beer. This is wild.

 

[Beautiful Opinion]

What an absolute s***show!

 

[Andronicus]

Guys, this is too hilarious. I’m supposed to be working today.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Is it just me or Elon Musk has been seeking attention desperately?

I don't think he knows exactly what he is doing or what he wants. He seems so lost.

 

[drinkingtea]

He does not know what he’s doing.

 

[geartau]

At least we'll get swift decisions instead of having features stay around for months only to be cancelled later.

Looking at you, Fleets.

 

[IIGS User]

Is Elon a Mac user, or did I miss something?

If Facebook is the junkyard of the internet, Twitter is a base model AMC Hornet sedan sitting in the back of the lot with a missing engine and oily dirt underneath it.

And two missing tires, with the remaining tires having steel belts showing.

 

[GeneralChang]

Tell me you have no idea what you're doing without telling me you have no idea what you're doing, Elon.

 

[bitcloudrzr]

Is it just me or Elon Musk has been seeking attention desperately?

This but in real life:

 

[ignatius345]

At least we'll get swift decisions instead of having features stay around for months only to be cancelled later.

Looking at you, Fleets.

*Swift, terribly thought-out decisions that may or may not be reversed immediately.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Twitter is still flooded with automated bots and random ads yet Elon is over here worrying about a blue star. I just don't get it.

 

[xxray]

This is just embarrassing. No strategy, no planning, just using millions of users as a beta test. No, scratch that. Even a beta test is more thought out than this. This is just throwing random ideas to the wind. Being an employee there right now must be god awful.

 

[locovaca]

“They’re really just making this up as they go along, aren’t they?”

 

[JustSomeInfo]

Good thing they sorta switched it back because without some way of knowing a company Twitter account is legit, they would lose ALL of their advertisers.
EDIT: In fact, make it so only advertisers get the official label. <-- You can have that idea for free Elon.

 

[markexposito]

I do think Elon Musk can be crazy at times, but who isn't? But to be upset at him about charging for the twitter platform? Option 1, we either have lots of ads to pay for twitter to operate (how can we use it for free without ads, kinda of like MacRumors) or Option 2, pay and have less or no ads at all. I also think a paid user should get a checkmark. To do so, you have to have a credit card and pay monthly, which will solve a lot of problems, including bots.

 

[VTECaddict]

This is just embarrassing. No strategy, no planning, just using millions of users as a beta test. No, scratch that. Even a beta test is more thought out than this. This is just throwing random ideas to the wind. Being an employee there right now must be god awful.

I mean that’s pretty much how he runs Tesla.

 

[NY Guitarist]

So much drama. 🤯

 

[GlassFingers]

This is actually fantastic. Equal access to the blue check mark.

Additionally, I welcome him taking swift action. He can proceed quickly and modify course based on feedback. Life is not perfect… and it’s not going to matter if Elon makes mistakes or backtracks along the way… he is someone who gets things done. Glad he is here shaking things up.

Really surprised to see so many people complaining here… 🤔

 

[FrizzleFryBen]

I have worked with CEOs who shoot from the hip or make major decisions on a whim, only to have them reverse or contradict themselves moments later. It's jarring and uncomfortable, to say the least. I genuinely feel bad for their product teams.

 

[gnipgnop]

This is actually fantastic. Equal access to the blue check mark.

Musk doesn't want to get rid of bots. He wants to make $7.99 per bot.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Damn I can't keep up. Tune in 5 mins from now to see what Elon decided to do next.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Musk doesn't want to get rid of bots. He wants to make $7.99 per bot.

It'd be effective against bots at that price. Having 1 bot for 8 bucks a month is probably doable but with an entire bot farm, that could get expensive.

 

[SW3029]

The "What's happening?!" bio description in the @twitter account screenshot is so on-point.

WTF is happening at Twitter?! Musk is like a headless chicken running around.

 

[GMShadow]

This is just embarrassing. No strategy, no planning, just using millions of users as a beta test. No, scratch that. Even a beta test is more thought out than this. This is just throwing random ideas to the wind. Being an employee there right now must be god awful.

This implies that Twitter had a strategy prior to this. They've been bleeding the biggest users since 2020.