Elon Musk sparks controversy after proposing $8 monthly fee for Twitter verification

Tech

Published: 2022-11-03 18:08

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 00:41


Elon Musk sparks controversy after proposing $8 monthly fee for Twitter verification
Elon Musk sparks controversy after proposing $8 monthly fee for Twitter verification

Elon Musk just announced his intention to change the current verification system in Twitter to make it possible for users to be verified for $8 per month; something critics believe would make it harder “to sift through disinformation and find high quality information.”

Twitter’s blue tick, which can be found next to someone’s username, is currently free and is usually preserved for high-profile figures.

Therefore, Musk’s plan was met with much displeasure as many said this would weaken the importance of being verified and if anyone can ‘buy a symbol of status or value then nobody actually has it.’

However, someone said that “the entitled elite is not mad that they have to pay $8/month. They’re mad that anyone can pay $8/month.”

When people said that such a move would only make matters worse, Musk reassured users that “if verified accounts violate terms of service, eg spam/scam/impersonation, they’ll be suspended, but Twitter will keep their money!”

One user wondered, “When will there be an announcement on freeing Wrongly Suspended Users from Twitter Jail?”

Twitter’s new premium service, Twitter Blue, will give its users a priority in replies, mentions and search, as well as half as many ads. It will also come with a paywall bypass feature that will allow publishers that collaborate with the platform

The American politician, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, did not like the idea and wrote “Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that “free speech” is actually a $8/month subscription plan.”

However, Musk sarcastically replied back to her saying, “Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8.”

Additionally, someone said that “only on Twitter can we watch a man worth $200 billion negotiate with a man worth $500 million about saving $12 a month,” in response to Musk saying they “need to pay the bills somehow!” after Stephen King had written in response to reports of the changes that instead Twitter "should pay me."

The former Twitter Head of Global Policy Communications, Nu Wexle, said, "With disinformation as an issue that a lot of platforms are struggling with, verification is one of the ways that journalists, academic researchers and some users use to filter out disinformation or low quality information."

"If you're offering up blue checks for rent, it makes it harder to sift through disinformation and find high quality information," Wexle added.