Twitter updated its app in Apple’s App Store to begin charging $8 for sought-after blue check verification marks in Elon Musk’s first major revision of the social media platform. The change comes a week after Mr. Musk took over the social media company in a $44 billion deal. In addition, the billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of electric car maker Tesla cut half the staff at Twitter and has promised to start charging users more. The article contains Twitter Started Charging $8 For Blue Checkmark.
In an update to Apple iOS devices, Twitter said those who sign up now for $7.99 a month could receive the blue checkmark next to their usernames, just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow. Before Mr. Musk took over, blue check marks next to a person’s username meant Twitter confirmed the account belonged to the person or company claiming it. However, it was not immediately clear how or if Twitter planned to verify the user’s identity beyond charging a fee.
According to the iOS notification, other benefits in the update include half the ads, the ability to post longer videos to Twitter, and priority ranking for quality content. Twitter and Mr. Musk, via Tesla, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Twitter’s new boss flagged the updates earlier this week in his push to monetize the social media network and make it less reliant on ads. Twitter is currently free for most users.
Twitter’s update said the new service with verification will be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Mr. Musk said, “As soon as we confirm it’s working well in the initial set of countries and we have the translation work done, it will roll out worldwide.” In addition, Twitter Blue will roll out in India in “hopefully less than a month,” Musk tweeted in reply to a question from a follower.
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