Update: The reported price for Twitter’s alleged paid verification has changed from $4.99 to $19.99 a month.
Twitter‘s verification rules are about to change and possibly more accessible than ever. It is rumored that those verified on the platform will have to pay a subscription in order to keep the coveted online status symbol on their profile under the new Elon Musk regime.
Platformer originally reported that verified users may have to pay $4.99 a month to keep their badge. This is part of Musk’s plans to make Twitter more profitable. Fortunately, this new system hasn’t been implemented and it’s still being discussed. Casey Newman, the journalist behind the story, also confirmed that the subscription service could be an easy pathway to give users verification features. However, it is unknown if paid users who were not verified will also get the badge.
A few hours later, the verification price tag has been updated. According to The Verge, Twitter Blue will have two subscription tiers. Users will have the option to pay $19.99 for paid verification. Meanwhile, the original $4.99 tier will remain untouched. It was also reported that Musk ordered his employees to implement the feature by Nov. 7 or else they risk losing their jobs.
This news divided users on the platform. Some showed support for the subscription service as they believe it’s “proof” that they are human and not a bot. Some also suggest paying a one-off fee to keep the status rather than paying a monthly subscription. Overall, people are keen on the idea and would pay for verification.
However, there was criticism about the “verification” subscription service. For one, Twitter already has Twitter Blue, a subscription service where the coveted “edit button” is a usable feature for paid users. According to rumors, Twitter’s verification will. be linked to the Twitter Blue service. Existing paid users will have to unsubscribe and resubscribe just to keep their badge. Meanwhile, others are against the idea of paying a subscription service to an online social media platform that’s free.
The Twitter verification system has always been, but secretly, a pay-to-win-like system. In 2017, Twitter closed verification applications as it was reported that people would interpret the blue checkmark as an “endorsement” from the site. The social media platform changed the rules for verification in 2021 after they re-opened public applications. However, during its downtime, users noticed that brands, companies, and sometimes users would pay for the blue checkmark.
YouTuber EmpLemon released a video in 2020 about the difficulty of getting the verified badge and how Twitter managed to earn a profit because of it. Meanwhile, other websites such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch have their own process to give users the verified status without paying but have to meet certain conditions.
This new subscription service, if it does go through, would not only make the blue checkmark more profitable, but it could possibly make the verification process much easier, but at a cost. But at the same time, the low price tag for the badge could open floodgates to impersonators and probably diminish the value of the verified badge if not handled correctly by Twitter themselves.