Elon Musk says Twitter launching new gray and gold verification checkmarks
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has said that soon the platform will introduce gray and gold verification checkmarks to accounts representing companies and governments, in addition to the regular blue verification badge for individuals.
After hinting that Twitter was exploring showing different color verification badges for select accounts last week, Musk has now confirmed that the social network will proceed with the plan, something he says is “painful, but necessary.”
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.”
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
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.
According to Musk, Twitter Blue is tentatively set to return on Friday next week.
The move to sell blue badges has been heavily criticized by government officials, companies, brands, and influential individuals who see the decision by Elon Musk to sell the original checkmark as irresponsible, putting many high-profile Twitter users at risk of impersonation and the spread of misinformation.