WASHINGTON: Billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform Twitter will introduce an “Official” label for select verified accounts including major media outlets and governments when it launches its new $8 premium subscription product, its early stage products executive Esther Crawford said.
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Crawford also confirmed that the revamped Twitter Blue subscription product, which will allow paid users to carry blue check marks on their accounts, will not actually verify users’ identities.
The lack of ID verification is likely to raise concerns about the possibility of people impersonating public figures.
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Already, such concerns have caused Twitter to 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 recurring issue for Twitter globally, according to sources familiar with the matter and researchers.
Not all Twitter accounts that were previously verified with a blue check mark will get the “Official” label and the label is not available for purchase, Crawford said.
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Accounts that will receive the official label include governments, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some other public figures, she tweeted.
