Elon Musk’s plan on Twitter’s verification system has come true. As of yesterday, the blue verification check is synonymous with a Twitter Blue active subscription. Consequently, all those accounts that had been verified under the criteria of reputation and notoriety have just lost the aforementioned insignia, which, by the way, was an important resource to mitigate identity theft attempts.
After this change, a glance through the Twitter feed may be enough to discover the new reality of the social network. Accounts that had been previously verified, such as the New York Times and the Bill Gates, and have decided not to pay for Twitter Blue, they no longer show the blue check. Other notable users, such as Tim Cookwho have decided to subscribe to the service (at least according to what the label indicates) have kept it.
Change the popup label (again)
It’s no secret that since Musk bought Twitter, the platform has undergone a flurry of changes that have, on some occasions, ended up confusing users. The popup label of the verified users (the one that appears when we touch or click on the blue check) has been one of the elements that has undergone several updates, as we can see below.
“This account is verified because it is notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category”, “This is a legacy verified account. It may or may not be featured”, “This account is verified because it is subscribed to Twitter Blue”, “This account is verified because it is subscribed to Twitter Blue or because it is an account verified according to the old system”, indicated the legend at different times of the anus.
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s account verified by Twitter Blue (according to the hashtag)
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ account without verification check
In this new era of payment verification badges, the pop-up tag has changed once again (and might again). At the time of writing this article the text is as follows: “This account is verified because it is subscribed to Twitter Blue and its phone has been verified.”
When Twitter refers to the fact that the phone has been verified, it refers to one of the main conditions for receiving the blue verification mark (besides paying for the subscription, of course). Next, we can see them in detail.
- Security: The account must be older than 30 days and the user must have registered and verified a phone number.
- Active Use: Account must have been active within the last 30 days.
- Full profile: the account must have a name and a profile picture.
Not only blue markings, but also gray and gold
Now that we know that the blue “verification” marks only apply to accounts with an active subscription to Twitter Blue and have met the requirements mentioned above, we can move on to the other marks. The gray and gold.
gray check: This check mark is granted only (or at least that’s what the social network says) to governmental or multilateral organizations. Also government officials. For example, state agencies, embassies, consulates, heads of state, cabinet members, among others.
The official account of the European Commission
In this case, Twitter says that it awards the badges after users who fit its criteria complete a request form. In the form they must specify information such as the username, email address and country. To complete the verification, they will also have to add an image of a “government ID” or an email related to the institution to which they belong.
golden check: This is where “Verified Organizations” come into play. That is, companies, non-profit organizations and government institutions that did not qualify for the gray check. In this case, those interested must also go through an application process. After uploading your application on a specific pagethey will receive an email that will allow them to continue with the process.
The official Microsoft account
Once the organization has been admitted, it will have to pay $1,000 per month (plus tax) for its verified status. In addition, if you want to recruit employees, you must pay an additional $50 per month for each one. It should be noted that prices vary according to the country (all can be consulted in this link).
For now, we have to wait to find out what effect these changes will have on the social network. Many users, including journalists and celebrities, have claimed that are not willing to pay for Twitter Bluethe subscription that opens the doors to the verification badge and that offers other exclusive features such as the possibility of “edit” Tweets and post longer messages.
Images: Ted Conference | Screenshots
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