Tech

Twitter To Mark Verified Accounts As “Official”

Published

1 year ago

November 9, 2022

Twitter To Mark Verified Accounts As "Official"

(CTN NEWS) – According to Twitter, it will add a gray “official” label to some high-profile accounts to show that they are authentic, which is the latest development in Elon Musk’s overhaul of the platform’s verification process.

In the future, those who do not pay a monthly fee will no longer be able to use the site’s “blue checks” that confirm an account’s authenticity.

In addition to the checkmarks, a $7.99-a-month subscription will include some bonuses, such as fewer ads and the opportunity to see tweets from subscribers more often than those from non-subscribers.

Since 2009, the platform’s verification system has been in place to ensure that public-facing and high-profile accounts are who they claim to be.

The availability of the checkmark for a fee has raised concerns that impersonations and scams may result. Whether you scroll Twitter in light or dark mode, the gray label blends into the background is an apparent compromise.

However, it might lead to confusion since Twitter users used to the blue check to verify authenticity now need to search for the less obvious “official” designation.

According to Twitter employee Esther Crawford, who has been working on the verification overhaul, the “official” label will be added to “select accounts” once the new system is launched.

The new Twitter Blue does not include ID verification – it’s an opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features. We’ll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types.

— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) November 8, 2022

“Not all previously verified accounts will get the ‘Official’ label, and the label is not available for purchase,” said Crawford, the subject of a viral photo showing her sleeping on the floor of a Twitter office to meet Musk’s deadline.

According to Crawford, recipients of the label include government agencies, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers, and some public figures.

The outgoing system has about 423,000 verified accounts. Among them are celebrities, businesses, politicians, and media outlets.

Some verified accounts belong to individual journalists, some with tiny followings at local newspapers and news sites. To prevent false information from spreading on Twitter, reporters’ identities had to be verified.