After briefly taking down the new feature, Elon Musk has set a date for the return of paid verification using Twitter Blue. The date, announced for November 29, comes only several days after the company halted new sign-ups to respond to claims of impersonation for high-profile accounts, brands, and celebrities.
For the longest time before Musk took over the company, Twitter’s verification process required a user to have a significant following, consistent posting, and influence to be considered worthy of the blue check. However, for others who wanted to identify themselves as they grow their brand or business, verification was impossible for a long time.
According to Musk, the company’s financial losses are attributed to a lack of meaningful revenue from other income streams outside of traditional display advertising. This is the reason for his decision to offer paid verification through the company’s premium program for $8/month.
Furthermore, Musk has stated that pushing the return date back gives the company time to “make sure [Twitter Blue] is rock solid.” He added that currently verified users will not be able to change their display names until confirmed to meet the company’s Terms of Service.
It really could just be as simple as requiring a government issue ID to confirm one’s identity of a verified account and only allowing you to use that ID on a single personal account. Instead, due to people’s egos, the more recent solution has been to acknowledge whether someone paid for verification or got it for free because they’re just that “cool.”
In addition to verified status, Twitter Blue comes packed with several other useful features, including the ability to edit Tweets within a set time period of posting.