Twitter paused its blue seal subscription service for $8 recently announced on Friday, as fake accounts surged, and new owner Elon Musk brought back the “official” seal for some Twitter users. social media platform.
The coveted blue checkmark was previously reserved for verified accounts of politicians, famous personalities, journalists and other public figures. But a subscription option, open to anyone willing to pay, launched earlier this week to help Twitter boost revenue as Musk struggles to retain advertisers.
The case is part of two chaotic weeks on Twitter since Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition. Musk laid off nearly half of Twitter’s workforce, removed its board and senior executives, and raised Twitter’s prospect of bankruptcy. The US Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday that it was watching Twitter with “deep concern”.
Several users on Friday reported that the new subscription option for the blue checkmark was gone, while a source told Reuters the offer had been dropped.
Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.
Fake accounts supposedly big brands have appeared with the blue check since the new launch, including Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX, as well as Roblox, Nestlé and Lockheed Martin.
“To combat impersonation, we’ve added an ‘Official’ label to some accounts,” tweeted the Twitter support account – which is tagged “official” on Friday.
The label was originally unveiled on Wednesday (9) – but “killed” by Musk just hours later.
Pharmacist Eli Lilly issued an apology after an imposter account tweeted that insulin would be free, amid political backlash and scrutiny of the drug’s high prices.
“We apologize to those who received a misleading message from a fake Lilly account,” the company said, reiterating the name of its Twitter handle.
Several misleading tweets about Tesla from a verified account with the same profile picture as the company’s official account were also circulating on the platform.
Musk said that Twitter users who engaged in impersonation without clearly specifying it as a “spoof” account would be permanently suspended without notice. Several fake brand accounts, including those of Nintendo 7974.T and BP BP.L, have been suspended.
On Thursday, in his first company-wide email, Musk warned that Twitter wouldn’t be able to “survive the next economic downturn” if it didn’t increase subscription revenue to make up for the drop in advertising revenue, they told Reuters three people who saw the message.
Many companies, including General Motors and United Airlines, have paused or given up advertising on the platform since Musk took over. In response, the billionaire said Wednesday that he intended to turn Twitter into a force for the truth and stop fake accounts.
Source: CNN Brasil
Joe Jameson, a technology journalist with over 2 years of experience, writes for top online news websites. Specializing in the field of technology, Joe provides insights into the latest advancements in the industry. Currently, he contributes to covering the world stock market.
