Twitter to Add 'Official' Label to Some Accounts With Original Verification Checkmark

[MacRumors]

Twitter on Tuesday revealed details about the way its new verification scheme will work, with some originally verified accounts set to get an "Official" label, while users who pay the $7.99 monthly subscription for Twitter Blue will get a blue checkmark that isn't tied to identity verification.

"A lot of folks have asked about how you'll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we're introducing the 'Official' label to select accounts when we launch," said Twitter product executive Esther Crawford in a tweet.

"Not all previously verified accounts will get the 'Official' label and the label is not available for purchase. Accounts that will receive it include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures."

Crawford shared a screenshot of what the "Official" label would look like on the profile page for the @twitter account, and went on to say that the new Twitter Blue is an opt-in paid subscription that does not include ID verification. "We'll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types," she added.

Traditionally, the blue checkmark let other Twitter users know that an account with the badge had provided Twitter with verification details like employer information, a phone number, or a copy of their driver's license.

Under new owner Elon Musk's plan, the new Twitter Blue checkmark will simply indicate that an account is a paying subscriber. Why the company still plans to continue calling it "verification" is, however, unclear at this time. Twitter Blue is reportedly launching on Wednesday, November 9, following a delay in rollout until after the U.S. midterm elections.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1590109380338647040

The new subscription service has been widely criticized in the past few weeks, with Musk promising it will cut down on spam and impersonation on the platform. Musk himself has fallen victim to impersonation by several comedians and influencers who changed their Twitter display names on their verified profiles to "Elon Musk" without indicating that they were parodying his account. Some of the users were locked out of their own accounts until they changed their names back.

"Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying 'parody' will be permanently suspended," Musk later tweeted, adding that there would be "no warning" before suspensions are imposed and that any name change would result in people losing their original blue checkmark.

Article Link: Twitter to Add 'Official' Label to Some Accounts With Original Verification Checkmark

 

[locovaca]

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

 

[Dandoodle]

If everyone is verified then no-one is verified. It all seems a bit haphazard to be honest, new policy or idea everyday.

 

[TechRunner]

Musk will fiddle with it for awhile, then he'll lose interest and it will fall apart.

 

[Six0Four]

Twitter's gonna nose dive like MySpace, Snapchat and Vine.

 

[matt_and_187_like_this]

Can I buy the official checkmark?

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Perfect idea. Some of us here suggested they do this.

Can't see why anyone would find a problem with this.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

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

Or it was always the plan from the start?

 

[unchecked]

Give them two more weeks while the adults in the room wrestle control back and we’ll be back right where we started.

 

[QuiteSharp]

Amazing. Let’s ruin a perfectly working functionality and then create a new functionality whose purpose is to fix the functionality we just broke.

The problem with the new ”Official” tag is that it is not as apparent as the blue check, meaning most users will still be confused/duped.

 

[aaadktda]

He really left all the people that pushed the "upset elitists" narrative to hang out to dry. Before Musk, twitter was "elitists" and everyone else. Now it will be the "elitists", the suckers who will pay a monthly fee to the richest man in the world and the silenced who will tweet in vain because almost no one will see their tweets.

 

[Shirasaki]

Soon we are gonna need a checkmark for the checkmark that is to verify another checkmark.
If only there’s any other badge Twitter would’ve designed to distinguish premium users from official account holder and laymen. I know, Elon Musk can come up with one soon.

 

[infinitejest]

This is so incredibly stupid. He’s so desperate to make some of his 44 billion back.

Also, he even permanently banned accounts that were labeled parody.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Can I buy the official checkmark?

"the label is not available for purchase."

 

[siri_3005]

This is so incredibly stupid. He’s so desperate to make some of his 44 billion back.

Also, he even permanently banned accounts that were labeled parody.

No he didn't, he banned accounts that were trying to push his buttons. Not defending Elon, but Kathy Griffin and Ethan Klein weren't doing a "parody" of Elon's Twitter. If their name was "Elon Musk ( PARODY )" or something, fine. But no, they just use "Elon Musk" as their name. And no, having a crappy jpg image that has Parody written on it terribly doesn't make it a parody.

 

[Marbles1]

So the prominent blue checkbox which currently means 'Twitter have verified this person is who they say they are' now means 'this user has paid some money' and explicitly will no longer include any verification.

And a new light grey label of 'Official' will be added to notable accounts at the discretion of twitter, and is now the place to look to see if 'Twitter have verified this person is who they say they are'.

Utterly ridiculous of course, but looks like Musk is banking on the blue checkbox having such cachet amongst Twitter users based on its historical usage, that they will be willing to pay for the privilege, despite it being made worthless.

 

[SW3029]

Lol. And they have confirmed Twitter Blue subscribers DON’T go through verification ID check.

So now the blue check mark really does only mean you are a Blue subscriber.

Elon dupes his loyal fans again.

 

[Jim Lahey]

All part of the wider psyop to implant the idea that everything needs to be verified by an overlord. Then Digital ID then CBDC then Game Over. Enjoy the ride, and don’t forget to spend two years bickering about elections while this is all rolled out behind your back 👍

 

[antiprotest]

Nothing = Free account (perhaps human, but maybe bot or spam account)

Check = Paid account (likely human since payment used, more deliberate and payment likely associated with a human)

Official = Verified (most likely human and owned by who it claims to be since Twitter actively verified the account holder)

In other words, all they did was added the Paid tier.

The Nothing and Official are old tiers, only that the old Check switched to Official.

The benefit of the $8 Paid tier is very limited.

There would be less confusion if they had kept the blue check as is and just add a paid tier like a yellow badge. But then there would be no incentive to get it. Thus in effect now the old blue check became marketing for the new paid tier.

 

[AlexisV]

Who gives a fug?

Like the way the media is portraying a poxy web company as ruler of the planet.

 

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

The Twitter hype is like the USB-C hype, I don’t get it.

 

[msackey]

This is just abdef-ing laughable. Wow. So you can pay for a Blue check mark but it means really nothing about identity verification but means you are paying to get a blue check mark. 🤷‍♀️

 

[Marbles1]

This is just abdef-ing laughable. Wow. So you can pay for a Blue check mark but it means really nothing about identity verification but means you are paying to get a blue check mark. 🤷‍♀️

Probably sums up the nature of social media and status signalling. 'Look at me I'm important'.

 

[Carlson-online]

So the blue tick that the whole world understands as "this person is who they say they are", is now just "hey look i pay a subscription to twitter". and the "this person is who they say they are" is a small gray thing that blends into the rest of the text ?

Yup, totally understandable /s

 

[cardfan]

Much ado about nothing.