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VIVA – Twitter tweeted on Friday that the blue ticks are about to change for people who don’t pay for them on April 1. These legacy check marks appear on accounts where the owner had proven their identity before Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform in October.
The company said the change will launch on April 1, leading some to speculate it could also be an elaborate April Fools’ joke, 'On April 1st, we will begin winding down our legacy verified program and removing legacy verified checkmarks,' it said.
Users were quick to respond by expressing their disappointment with the update, and there was a decision that there would be other changes coming to the platform. despair that there would be other changes coming to the platform.
"I really feel sorry for the people left behind on Twitter having to force this update," replied one user.
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- theverge.com
The announcement also offers instructions on how users can sign up for Twitter Blue, or how companies can sign up for 'Verified Organizations'. This is another subscription service that will provide an organization’s account with a gold or grey verification badge, for a cool £950 a month.
Gold ticks denote verified business accounts, while grey ticks denote accounts that represent a government institution or official. Businesses can also pay an extra £50 a month to have an 'affiliation badge', that shows the Twitter profile photo of an associated brand, support handle, employee, or related team.
This system of colored ticks and badges was launched in December and, while causing widespread confusion, did not require organizations with legacy check marks to pay for a subscription service to keep it.
Indeed, all accounts which had a blue tick under the previous regime and are not signed up to Twitter Blue have a message that appears if the tick is clicked on. It says the account is a 'legacy verified account' and 'may or may not be notable'.
Now, it looks like these will be phased out, as having a checkmark without paying for a subscription service won't be an option from next month.
Subscribers are offered a range of features not available to regular account holders, including the ability to edit tweets after posting.
This has long been requested by many users, although others argue that it increases the potential for the spread of disinformation because a tweet could be altered after being widely shared.
Twitter said blue subscribers will also see fewer adverts, have their tweets amplified above others, and be able to post and view longer better-quality videos.
