Twitter has confirmed that users can buy “blue check” status.
In an update for Apple devices, the company said that the feature would be available to people in certain countries who pay $7.99 (₱470) per month to use Twitter Blue.
People are upset about the policy change because they are worrie that the platform will be full of fake accounts.
It comes after Elon Musk bought Twitter and fired about half of the people who worked there on Friday.
Before, only well-known or influential people or organizations could get the coveted blue tick, and they had to prove who they were.
It has been used to tell if a profile is accurate, and it is a crucial tool that helps users find information on a platform they can trust.
The policy change could make people worry that anyone willing to pay a monthly fee could pose as a government official, a celebrity, a journalist, or a brand.
Since Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion (₱2.5 trillion) at the end of last month, it looks like he wants to make Twitter’s income more diverse.
Friday, the billionaire said that Twitter was losing more than $4 million (₱230 million) per day and that he had “no choice” but to lay off about half of the company’s 7,500 employees.
People have thought that Twitter might not try as hard to moderate content because of the cuts and because Elon Musk strongly supports free speech.
But Elon Musk has said that the company’s stance on harmful content has “absolutely not changed.”
On Saturday, Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk, a top UN official, told Elon Musk to “make sure that human rights are at the center of how Twitter is run.”
The UN stepped in, which is rare, and said that Elon Musk’s firing of Twitter’s entire human rights team was “not an encouraging start.”
There was no answer right away from Twitter.
After Saturday’s announcement, Twitter Blue subscriptions in the UK remained at the same price.
Twitter’s announcement state that only the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand would first be affect. Elon Musk’s tweets implied the adjustments would be implement worldwide after being test in a few nations.
It was unclear what would happen to profiles with a blue tick or if Twitter would “verify” users without charging them.
Elon Musk said it would take a “couple [of] months” to modify verified profiles. He also said that Twitter would “suspend the account attempting impersonation and keep the money” if users impersonated famous people.
“Ending [the] insanity of notepad screenshots,” Elon Musk said Twitter would soon allow long-form text in tweets. On Saturday, Twitter co-founder and ex-CEO Jack Dorsey apologized to staff for the mass firings.
Mr. Dorsey, who resigned as CEO in November and left the board in May, acknowledged that Twitter employees were “angry with me.”
He added: “I own the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation: I grew the company size too quickly, and I apologize for that.” Mr. Dorsey supported firings and endorsed Musk’s takeover earlier this year.
During Twitter’s turmoil, many large brands stopped advertising the website. Saturday’s upgrade promised “half the advertisements” as Elon Musk seeks to reduce the platform’s reliance on ads.
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