LONDON (AP) \u2014 Elon Musk said Friday that Twitter plans to relaunch its premium service that will offer different colored check marks to accounts next week, in a fresh move to revamp the service after a\u00a0previous attempt backfired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the latest change to the social media platform that the billionaire Tesla CEO bought last month for $44 billion, coming a day after Musk said he would\u00a0grant \u201camnesty\u201d for suspended accounts\u00a0and causing yet more uncertainty for users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twitter previously suspended the premium service, which under Musk\u00a0granted blue-check labels to anyone paying $8 a month, because of a wave of imposter accounts. Originally, the blue check was given to government entities, corporations, celebrities and journalists verified by the platform to prevent impersonation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the latest version, companies will get a gold check, governments will get a gray check, and individuals who pay for the service, whether or not they\u2019re celebrities, will get a blue check, Musk said Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates,\u201d he said, adding it was \u201cPainful, but necessary\u201d and promising a \u201clonger explanation\u201d next week. He said the service was \u201ctentatively launching\u201d Dec. 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twitter had\u00a0put the revamped premium service on hold\u00a0days after its launch earlier this month after\u00a0accounts impersonated companies\u00a0including pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co., Nintendo, Lockheed Martin, and even Musk\u2019s own businesses Tesla and SpaceX, along with various\u00a0professional sports\u00a0and political figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was just one change in the past two days. On Thursday, Musk said he would grant \u201camnesty\u201d for suspended accounts, following the results of an online poll he conducted on whether accounts that have not \u201cbroken the law or engaged in egregious spam\u201d should be reinstated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The yes vote was 72%. Such online polls are anything but scientific and can easily be influenced by bots. Musk also used one before\u00a0restoring former U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe people have spoken. Amnesty begins next week. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,\u201d Musk tweeted Thursday using a Latin phrase meaning \u201cthe voice of the people, the voice of God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The move is likely to put the company on a crash course with European regulators seeking to\u00a0clamp down on harmful online content\u00a0with tough new rules, which helped cement Europe\u2019s reputation as the global leader in efforts to rein in the power of social media companies and other digital platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zach Meyers, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think tank, said giving blanket amnesty based on an online poll is an \u201carbitrary approach\u201d that\u2019s \u201chard to reconcile with the Digital Services Act,\u201d a new EU law that will start applying to the biggest online platforms by mid-2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The law is aimed at\u00a0protecting internet users from illegal content\u00a0and reducing the spread of harmful but legal content. It requires big social media platforms to be \u201cdiligent and objective\u201d in enforcing restrictions, which must be spelled out clearly in the fine print for users when signing up, Meyers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britain also is working on\u00a0its own online safety law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnless Musk quickly moves from a \u2018move fast and break things\u2019 approach to a more sober management style, he will be on a collision course with Brussels and London regulators,\u201d Meyers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
European Union officials took to social media to highlight their worries. The 27-nation bloc\u2019s executive Commission published a report Thursday that found\u00a0Twitter took longer to review hateful content\u00a0and removed less of it this year compared with 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report was based on data collected over the spring \u2014 before Musk acquired Twitter \u2014 as part of an annual evaluation of online platforms\u2019 compliance with the bloc\u2019s voluntary code of conduct on disinformation. It found that Twitter assessed just over half of the notifications it received about illegal hate speech within 24 hours, down from 82% in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The numbers may yet worsen. Since taking over, Musk has l\u00a0aid off half the company\u2019s 7,500-person workforce\u00a0along with an untold number of contractors responsible for content moderation.\u00a0Many others have resigned, including the company\u2019s head of trust and safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recent layoffs at Twitter and results of the EU\u2019s review \u201care a source of concern,\u201d the bloc\u2019s commissioner for justice, Didier Reynders tweeted Thursday evening after meeting with Twitter executives at the company\u2019s European headquarters in Dublin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the meeting, Reynders said he \u201cunderlined that we expect Twitter to deliver on their voluntary commitments and comply with EU rules,\u201d including the Digital Services Act and the bloc\u2019s strict privacy regulations known as General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vera Jourova, the European Commission\u2019s vice president for values and transparency, tweeted Thursday evening that she was concerned about news reports that a \u201cvast amount\u201d of Twitter\u2019s European staff were fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you want to effectively detect and take action against #disinformation & propaganda, this requires resources,\u201d Jourova said. \u201cEspecially in the context of Russian disinformation warfare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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