Elon Musk says Twitter considering different color verification badge for organizations than individuals
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has said that organizations may have a different color verification badge than individuals in the future amid the social network delaying the reintroduction of its pay monthly Twitter Blue subscription plan, which includes a blue verification checkmark, “until there is high confidence of stopping impersonation.”
Although vague, Musk suggests that Twitter could follow platforms such as Pinterest by showing different colored verification badges to select users, which could help solve the issue Musk created himself by selling the blue badge, although not completely as the new verification checkmark would only be for organizations, and it is not clear whether organizations would be able to apply for the new checkmark, or if Twitter would apply it automatically to accounts it deems to be at most risk of impersonation.
The move to introduce a different color verification badge goes against Musk’s original high-profile opinion of Twitter’s verification system, with the new CEO saying at the time he wanted to remove what he described as a “lords & peasants” system for those who did and didn’t have Twitter’s iconic blue verification checkmark, calling the new paid-for verification badge through Twitter Blue “the great leveler.”
Holding off relaunch of Blue Verified until there is high confidence of stopping impersonation.
Will probably use different color check for organizations than individuals.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2022
Twitter stopped taking new Twitter Blue subscribers two days after the new $7.99/month subscription plan went live earlier this month. In the short time that it was available, many brands and high-profile individuals suffered impersonation through Musk’s pay-to-play verification system, which allowed anyone to pay to show a blue verification checkmark on their account, without any prior checks to verify they were who they say they were.
The move to sell blue badges has been heavily criticized by government officials, companies, brands, and influential individuals who see the decision by Twitter CEO Elon Musk to sell the original checkmark as irresponsible, putting many high-profile Twitter users at risk of impersonation and the spread of misinformation.