Twitter delays $8 verification plan with "blue popcorn" until after the midterm elections

() — Twitter will delay the start of account verifications for its paid ‘Twitter Blue’ subscription plan until after the midterm elections, a source with knowledge of the decision confirmed to .

The decision to delay the new feature comes a day after the platform released an updated version of its iOS app that promises to allow users who pay a monthly subscription fee to get a check mark (the famous “blue check mark”). on their profiles, a feature that CEO Elon Musk has proposed as a way to combat spam on the platform.

The latest update to the app was featured on Apple’s App Store and indicates that users will have to pay $7.99 a month for the company’s Twitter Blue verification feature, “just like celebrities, businesses and politicians that you already follow”. The verification mark has long been used to confirm the authenticity of government officials, prominent figures, and journalists.

Testing conducted by on Saturday afternoon suggested the rollout had not yet been completed before Sunday’s decision. A new Twitter account created by that opted into the payment feature did not display the check mark on its public profile. Also, it appeared that Twitter was still charging $4.99.

Teasing Musk on Twitter

The delay comes at a time of strong criticism of the decision to charge users for verification. In a show of public defiance, some celebrities on the platform posed as Musk over the weekend and revealed a possible flaw in the “blue verification” system.

Comedian Sarah Silverman used her verified account to troll Musk, copying his profile picture, cover image, and name. The only thing that distinguishes a tweet from Silverman’s account is the name of @SarahKSilverman.

“I am a free speech absolutist and poop breakfast every day,” Silverman tweeted on Saturday. His account also retweeted messages of support for Democratic candidates.

On Sunday, Silverman’s account was labeled “temporarily restricted,” with a warning that “there has been some unusual activity from this account” displayed to visitors before clicking through to the profile. The comedian changed her account back to her usual form, with her own name and image.

TV actress Valerie Bertinelli also changed her account name to Twitter’s CEO, tweeting on Friday that “the blue check mark simply meant your identity was verified.” “Scammers would have a harder time impersonating you. That doesn’t apply anymore. Good luck out there,” she added. She then responded to a follower who asked how the checkmark no longer applies, writing, “you can buy a blue checkmark for $7.99 a month without checking who you are.”

After changing his profile name to Musk, Bertinelli tweeted and retweeted support for various Democratic candidates and hashtags, including “VoteBlueForDemocracy” and “#VoteBlueIn2022.”

The actress changed her account name back to Valerie Bertinelli on Sunday, tweeting: “I had fun and I think I made my point.”

The trolling follows Musk’s purchase of the company and his promise to restore the accounts of users who were previously banned from the platform, most notably former President Donald Trump. Musk has also said he will limit the company’s content restrictions and require paid subscription for account verification.

In recent months, Musk has shared conspiracy theories about the attack on Paul Pelosi, called Democrats the party of “division and hate,” and compared the former Twitter CEO to Joseph Stalin.