SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 Twitter has announced a subscription service for $7.99 a month that includes a blue check now given only to verified accounts as new owner Elon Musk works to overhaul the platform\u2019s verification system just ahead of\u00a0U.S. midterm elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an update to Apple iOS devices available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., Twitter said users who \u201csign up now\u201d for the new \u201cTwitter Blue with verification\u201d can receive the blue check next to their names \u201cjust like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Twitter employee Esther Crawford tweeted Saturday that the \u201cnew Blue isn\u2019t live yet \u2014 the sprint to our launch continues but some folks may see us making updates because we are testing and pushing changes in real-time.\u201d Verified accounts did not appear to be losing their checks so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was not immediately clear when the subscription would go live. Crawford told The Associated Press in a Twitter message that it is coming \u201csoon but it hasn\u2019t launched yet.\u201d Twitter did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone being able to get the blue check could lead to confusion and the rise of disinformation ahead of Tuesday\u2019s elections, but Musk tweeted Saturday in response to a question about the risk of impostors impersonating verified profiles \u2014 such as politicians and election officials \u2014 that \u201cTwitter will suspend the account attempting impersonation and keep the money!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo if scammers want to do this a million times, that\u2019s just a whole bunch of free money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But many fear\u00a0widespread layoffs that began Friday\u00a0could gut the guardrails of content moderation and verification on the social platform that public agencies, election boards, police departments and news outlets use to keep people reliably informed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The change will end\u00a0Twitter\u2019s current verification system, which was launched in 2009 to prevent impersonations of high-profile accounts such as celebrities and politicians. Twitter now has about 423,000 verified accounts, many of them rank-and-file journalists from around the globe that the company verified regardless of how many followers they had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts have raised\u00a0grave concerns about upending the platform\u2019s verification system\u00a0that, while not perfect, has helped Twitter\u2019s 238 million daily users determine whether\u00a0accounts they get information from are authentic. Current verified accounts include celebrities, athletes and influencers, along with government agencies and politicians worldwide, journalists and news outlets, activists, businesses and brands, and Musk himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe knows the blue check has value, and he\u2019s trying to exploit it quickly,\u201d said Jennifer Grygiel, a social media expert and associate professor of communications at Syracuse University. \u201cHe needs to earn the trust of the people before he can sell them anything. Why would you buy a car from a salesman that you know has essentially proved to be chaotic?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The update Twitter made to the iOS version of its app does not mention verification as part of the new blue check system. So far, the update is not available on Android devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk, who had earlier said he wants to \u201cverify all humans\u201d on Twitter, has floated that public figures would be identified in ways other than the blue check. Currently, for instance, government officials are identified with text under names stating they are posting from an official government account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Joe Biden\u2019s @POTUS account, for example, says in gray letters it belongs to a \u201cUnited States government official.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, who has 7.8 million Twitter followers, told the AP, \u201cI could actually just delete my Twitter account, I never use it. I find it really healthy to delete social media from my phone for periods of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s also a really powerful tool to connect with people, so I appreciate that and I try to use it as that and not as something that\u2019s veering me off course of the journey that I\u2019m on in life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The announcement comes a day after Twitter began laying off workers to cut costs and as more\u00a0companies are pausing advertising on the platform\u00a0as a cautious corporate world waits to see how the platform will operate under its new owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About half of the company\u2019s staff of 7,500 was let go, tweeted Yoel Roth, Twitter\u2019s head of safety and integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the company\u2019s front-line content moderation staff was the group the least affected by the job cuts and that \u201cefforts on election integrity \u2014 including harmful misinformation that can suppress the vote and combatting state-backed information operations \u2014 remain a top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twitter co-founder and former CEO\u00a0Jack Dorsey took blame\u00a0for the job losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI own the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation: I grew the company size too quickly,\u201d he tweeted Saturday. \u201cI apologize for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk tweeted\u00a0late Friday that there was no choice but to cut jobs \u201cwhen the company is losing over $4M\/day.\u201d He did not provide details on the daily losses at Twitter and said employees who lost their jobs were offered three months\u2019 pay as severance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also said Twitter has already seen \u201ca massive drop in revenue\u201d as advertisers face pressure from activists to get off the platform, which heavily relies on advertising to make money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
United Airlines on Saturday became the latest major brand to pause advertising on Twitter, joining companies including General Motors, REI, General Mills and Audi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk tried to reassure advertisers last week, saying\u00a0Twitter would not become a \u201cfree-for-all hellscape\u201d\u00a0because of what he calls his commitment to free speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But concerns remain about whether a lighter touch on content moderation at Twitter will result in users sending out more offensive tweets. That could hurt companies\u2019 brands if their advertisements appear next to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker T\u00fcrk on Saturday urged Musk to \u201censure human rights are central to the management of Twitter.\u201d In an open letter, T\u00fcrk said reports that the company\u2019s whole human rights team and much of the ethical AI team were laid off was not \u201can encouraging start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLike all companies, Twitter needs to understand the harms associated with its platform and take steps to address them,\u201d T\u00fcrk said. \u201cRespect for our shared human rights should set the guardrails for the platform\u2019s use and evolution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Twitter cannot simply cut costs to grow profits, and Musk needs to find ways to raise more revenue, said Dan Ives, an analyst with Wedbush. But that may be easier said than done with the new subscription program for blue checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUsers have gotten this for free,\u201d Ives said. \u201cThere may be massive pushback.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He expects 20% to 25% of Twitter\u2019s verified users to sign up initially. The stakes are high for Musk and Twitter to get this right early and for signups to work smoothly, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have a second chance to make a first impression,\u201d Ives said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a train-wreck first week for Musk owning the Twitter platform. Now you\u2019ve cut 50% (of the workforce). There are questions about just the stability of the platform, and advertisers are watching this with a keen eye.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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