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Twitter had to quickly suspend its $8 verification scheme via the Twitter Blue subscription after a wave of fake accounts impersonating major companies flooded the platform. But Twitter owner Elon Musk says that it should be available again before the week ends.
The all-new Twitter Blue had a rough first week after several account owners took advantage of the $8 blue checkmark to troll some legitimate companies on the platform. By last Friday, reports circulated that Twitter appeared to have temporarily stopped taking new Twitter Blue subscriptions.
Musk, however, assured his followers that the new Twitter Blue is not going away for good. When asked last Saturday when the $8 blue checkmark scheme will return, Musk said, “Probably end of next week.” It means Twitter users should be able to pay for a verified account again before the end of the current week.
From Twitter / @elonmusk
The sudden suspension of Twitter Blue came after a wave of fake accounts that paid for the blue checkmark started impersonating a number of huge companies. One of the biggest Twitter-related headlines last week involved the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, whose real Twitter page uses the handle @LillyPad. An impersonator with an $8 “verified” account using the handle @EliLillyandCo tweeted what looks like a one-sentence announcement on Friday, saying Eli Lilly will make insulin free. The company’s stock price dropped 4.45% to $352.30 the same day.
A similar incident aimed at aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin. A fake, blue-checkmarked account with the handle @LockheedMartini tweeted, “We will begin halting all weapon sales to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States until further investigation into their record of human rights abuses.” The company’s stock reportedly fell 5% following the fake announcement on Twitter. Lockheed Martin’s real Twitter handle is @LockheedMartin.
The verification process was one of the biggest changes that happened to Twitter since Musk took over, along with the layoffs and reported cancellations of partnerships with contractors. Instead of having to submit to an actual process to verify a user’s identity and line of work, Musk made the blue checkmark available to anyone willing to dish out $8 a month, at least, in regions where the service is available.
Photo by greenwish _ from Pexels
