Twitter will introduce an “Official” label for a small group of verified accounts, such as major media organizations and governments, when it debuts its new $8 premium subscription plan, according to Twitter’s early-stage products executive Esther Crawford on Tuesday.
Crawford also confirmed that the revamped Twitter Blue subscription product, which will allow paid users to carry blue check marks on their accounts, will not verify users’ identities.
There may be worries regarding the possibility of impersonating public personalities on the social media site due to the lack of ID verification.
According to Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of safety and integrity, these worries have already led Twitter to delay the release of the new version of Twitter Blue until after Tuesday’s midterm elections in the United States.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation and studies, fake accounts for government leaders are a persistent problem for Twitter worldwide.
According to Crawford, not all Twitter accounts that have previously been verified with a blue check mark will receive the “Official” label, and the label cannot be purchased.
Governments, businesses, business partners, significant media outlets, publishers, and certain other public figures are among the accounts that will acquire the official label, she tweeted.
According to Jason Goldman, a former member of the Twitter board and former head of product in the company’s early years, the addition of a new label with the current check marks “creates a confusing system” where some, but not all, previously verified accounts will be regarded as authentic.
“It’s a complete mess,” he said.
The official designation was created following an internal campaign by Twitter policy executives who had serious reservations about the likelihood and reluctance of international governments to pay for verified check marks, according to a source with knowledge of the situation who spoke to Reuters.
