Twitter Blue is back — and back in gold.
On Monday, the company started a new way for business users to become verified with a gold check mark with the latest iteration of Twitter Blue.
It was announced in a Twitter thread Saturday:
we’re relaunching @TwitterBlue on Monday – subscribe on web for $8/month or on iOS for $11/month to get access to subscriber-only features, including the blue checkmark pic.twitter.com/DvvsLoSO50
— Twitter (@Twitter) December 10, 2022
The service will cost $11 to use if the user signs up with an iOS app — Elon Musk, owner and CEO of Twitter has been a vocal critic of Apple’s app store fee — and $8 a month if someone signs up through the web.
Musk didn’t acknowledge the launch on Twitter (as of press time) but did post a photo of himself next to a grave labeled “bots,” and it is unclear if he is referring to Twitter Blue’s re-launch or his well-known public hatred of fake accounts on the platform.
It also likely refers to his Thursday announcement that the company would be removing 1.5 million Twitter accounts.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 12, 2022
Last month, the company’s new leadership soft-launched Twitter Blue, its pay-for-verification scheme that would allow anyone to buy blue check mark verification for $7.99 a month, but it turned into chaos. The blue check mark had historically been used by celebrities, journalists, and other official accounts on the platform, leading users to see it as a trusted source of identity verification.
Related: ‘This Will Be a Nightmare’: Mark Cuban Slams Elon Musk’s New Twitter Verification System
Things quickly went haywire. Drug manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company saw its stock plummet after an account impersonating the brand Tweeted that insulin would be free. An account pretending to be NFL analyst Adam Schefter incorrectly Tweeted that Josh McDaniels, top coach of the Oakland Raiders, was fired.
Related: ‘Mission Accomplished’: Man Suspended After Fooling Thousands With Fake Tesla Twitter Account
And so Musk, the self-described free-speech advocate, was put in the position of having to suspend and ban accounts. Then, in late November, Musk announced the company was suspending the program temporarily due to rampant impersonation.
Holding off relaunch of Blue Verified until there is high confidence of stopping impersonation.
Will probably use different color check for organizations than individuals.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2022
What are Twitter’s gold check marks?
The company said it will now allow businesses to subscribe to Twitter Blue and receive a gold check mark. Regular people who subscribe through the web get blue check marks. Governments and other “multilateral accounts” will get gray checkmarks, the company wrote.
To help prevent people from impersonating accounts, the company will have users connect a phone number to the account before they can get a blue check mark. If they want to change their handle, name in the account display, or photos in the profile, they will momentarily drop the check until their accounts are re-examined, the company wrote.
Twitter Blue will have the following features: Edit Tweet, uploading videos in 1080 pixels, “reader mode,” and a blue checkmark on their profile post-review.
“Thanks for your patience as we’ve worked to make Blue better – we’re excited and looking forward to sharing more with you soon!” the company wrote.
What happens if I have a legacy checkmark?
On Monday afternoon, Musk replied to a Tweet that everyone who previously had a blue checkmark will soon lose their status.
In a few months, we will remove all legacy blue checks. The way in which they were given out was corrupt and nonsensical.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 12, 2022
