The Morning After: Elon Musk wants Twitter users to pay for verification
Twitter started verifying public figures to prevent scammers from distributing fake news. New owner Elon Musk, however, thinks the blue check is just a status symbol, and one people should pay for. The platform’s new owner has reportedly decided users will need to sign up for Twitter Blue to maintain verification, which will increase to $20 a month. It’s also reported Musk has given Twitter employees until November 7th to implement the changes, or he’ll start firing people.
I’m sure the blue check is, for some, little more than a bragging right, but it’s also Twitter’s fix to a fairly knotty problem. Back in the day, it was easy enough to create an account posing as a respected newswire to pump out fake stock information. The speed of Twitter’s platform means people can retweet something controversial about a stock price to their followers before they’ve clocked it came from @WellStreetJourral. Although, given Twitter’s new owner was responsible for the Funding Secured tweet, maybe that’s just allowed now.
– Dan Cooper
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Twitter started verifying public figures to prevent scammers from distributing fake news. New owner Elon Musk, however, thinks the blue check is just a status symbol, and one people should pay for. The platform’s new owner has reportedly decided users will need to sign up for Twitter Blue to maintain…
