Over the last few days, we’ve watched Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, witness firsthand why it’s a bad idea to let anyone pay for verification on Twitter. Now, the social media platform is rolling out a solution to the blue check problem it created — another checkmark.
This time around, it’s a grey checkmark accompanied by an ‘Official’ label, which has started to appear on some Twitter accounts. The company’s Esther Crawford, who’s heading up the new Twitter Blue subscription that comes with a blue check, tweeted that the new grey check mark was intended to distinguish between accounts the company verified as official and accounts that paid for a blue checkmark.
A lot of folks have asked about how you'll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the “Official” label to select accounts when we launch. pic.twitter.com/0p2Ae5nWpO
— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) November 8, 2022
“Not all previously verified accounts will get the “Official” label and the label is not available for purchase. Accounts that will receive it include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures,” Crawford wrote in a follow-up tweet. Crawford also confirmed that Twitter Blue doesn’t include ID verification.
Twitter’s ‘Official’ checkmark in a tweet.
As of this morning, several accounts have suddenly gained a grey ‘Official’ checkmark, which appears underneath an account’s name and handle (@) in tweets and in the account’s profile page. It remains unclear if Twitter plans to open the new ‘Official’ badge up for applications, or if the company will arbitrarily decide which accounts qualify and which don’t.
Twitter’s ‘Official’ checkmark in an account profile.
Moreover, many accounts still have the old blue verification badge, even if they haven’t subscribed to Twitter Blue. For example, I still have my badge despite never paying for Blue — and I don’t plan to start anytime soon. As a result, many Twitter accounts are now double-badged.
While the new ‘Official’ badge is arguably a helpful change that should cut down on the potential for impersonation, there remains a distinct lack of transparency around the system (which was a notable issue with the old verification system). Additionally, the old blue checkmark is more visible than the grey check — coupled with the history behind the blue checkmark, the new double-check system may increase confusion over which accounts are authentic or not.
i think i’m having a stroke pic.twitter.com/NnYoNzOyK4
— juan (@juanbuis) November 9, 2022
At the moment, the blue checkmark really only means one of two things: that account paid for Twitter like a loser, or that account was previously verified and hasn’t lost the blue check yet. Most accounts seem to be in the latter camp for now since Twitter delayed the change to the blue checkmark. Now that the U.S. midterm elections are over, that will begin to change.
You can find more about the ongoing Musk x Twitter drama here.
Source: @esthercrawford Via: The Verge