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Twitter is under new management and appears to be considering selling verified accounts to users for a price of $19.99.
The price comes with a subscription service and might remove the blue check marks from accounts.
According to internal Twitter documents, the platform will remove the blue check marks if existing users don’t pay for the product within 90 days.
Changes
Despite the news, there is still a chance that the plan and prices will change.
Elon Musk, the new platform owner, wants to make his mark on Twitter.
It remains to be seen whether verified users will be free from paying the new fee.
For example, international organizations and charities are verified on Twitter.
The changes would update Twitter Blue, the platform’s paid feature, which currently costs $4.99.
The authentication function is available in four countries, including the United States.
Documents indicate that the verification payment feature will roll out in the four countries for only $ 19.99 per month.
The Verge initially reported on the pricing plan on Sunday.
Read also: General Motors plans to stop advertising on Twitter
Verification
On Sunday, new Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted about the verification change.
“The whole verification process is being revamped right now,” he said.
Later that day, Musk took part in a survey by Jason Calcanis, a member of his inner circle, asking how much people are willing to pay for verification.
It wasn’t surprising that the majority of respondents would rather not pay.
Twitter shakeup
Since acquiring the popular social media platform, Musk has been quick to shake up the company.
One of his first decisions was to fire its senior executives.
Since then, Musk has conducted polls asking his followers if he should relaunch Vine, Twitter’s former shorthand video service.
Twitter’s new owner also accepted a user’s suggestion to reconsider the platform’s character limits.
It is yet to be seen if Musk will deliver on the changes he mentioned.
Early signs
Before the deal’s completion, Elon Musk initially made suggestions linking verification to a paid subscription service.
Last April, he said that the platform’s paid subscribers should also receive an authentication check.
Musk elaborated in another tweet, writing:
“Price should probably be ~$2/month but paid 12 months up front & account doesn’t get checkmark for 60 days (watch for CC chargebacks) & suspended with no refund if used for scam/spam.”
Read also: Instagram outage leads to thousands suspended
The blue check mark
Although the blue check mark is a status symbol on Twitter, it also reassures others that the account is genuine.
It’s especially useful for people trying to distinguish between celebrities, brands, and other influential accounts and posers.
However, if Elon Musk creates a paid barrier, it will become more difficult for users to distinguish whether an account is a bot.
Months earlier, Musk said he wanted to rid the platform of spam bots and fake accounts.
Eventually, the same argument became his main reason for trying to get out of the deal.
Musk would later reverse his decision and buy the popular social media platform.
Reference:
Want a blue check mark on Twitter? It may soon cost you $19.99 a month
