Billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform Twitter will present an “Official” label for select verified accounts including significant media outlets and governments when it launches its new $8 premium subscription product, its early stage products executive Esther Crawford said on Tuesday.
Crawford likewise affirmed that the redid Twitter Blue subscription product, which will permit paid clients to carry blue check marks on their accounts, won’t really confirm users’ identities.
The absence of ID verification is probably going to raise worries about the chance of individuals mimicking public figures.
As of now, such worries have made Twitter hold off on launching the new version of Twitter Blue until after the U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday, tweeted Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of safety and integrity.
Fake accounts for government officials are a repetitive issue for Twitter internationally, as per sources acquainted with the matter and scientists.
Not all Twitter accounts that were previously verified with a blue check mark will get the “Official” label and the label isn’t accessible for purchase, Crawford said.
Accounts that will get the official label incorporate governments, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some other public figures, she tweeted.
The introduction of a new label close by the current check marks “creates a confusing system” where some, yet not all, previously verified accounts will be considered official, said Jason Goldman, a former Twitter board member who served as head of product in its early years.
“It’s a complete mess,” he said.
The official label comes after an internal push by Twitter policy executives, who had strong worries about government authorities around the world being unlikely and reluctant to pay for verified check marks, one source with information regarding this situation told Reuters.
Twitter, which has lost numerous individuals from its communication team, didn’t answer a request for additional comment.
Crawford added on Tuesday that Twitter will “continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types.”