A Twitter Blue subscription, still offered in France from 9.60 to 11 euros per month, will soon be the only way to be certified on Twitter (in addition to corporate certification). This change may cause confusion on the social network where it is impossible to distinguish a real account from a fake account.
Should we believe Elon Musk when he announces that he will remove the blue badge from all accounts that do not pay 1?R April? The date may raise suspicions (the “troll-in-chief” is undoubtedly a follower of April fools), but above all Elon Musk’s behavior is questionable. The entrepreneur has repeatedly threatened to do the same in recent months, and since joining Twitter in late 2022, has regularly made dated promises that never come.
However, according to tweets posted by Elon Musk and official Twitter accounts on March 23, accounts that were certified before the Twitter Blue subscription began will lose their blue badge on March 1.R April, Elon Musk wants to change an algorithm so that only paid accounts will be highlighted on the platform. If that happens, the public debate could change completely in a matter of days.
Who will lose their certificate?
If Elon Musk is telling the truth, the accounts are still certified at 1R April will be:
- Government accounts with gray badge.
- Accounts of eligible brands, not all of which have yet been certified with a gold badge.
- Accounts of subscribers who pay for Twitter Blue (9.60-11 euros per month in France, Twitter cheats on VAT), with a blue badge.
- Accounts certified by an organization ($1,000 per month + $50 per account), such as a football team that wants to certify its players.
All individuals were certified free of charge using their identity documents, as their activity was common and it was important to recognize them on Twitter, so on the 1st they would suddenly lose their blue badge.R April. Elon Musk says he thinks the old system is unfair and is starting over “We Get What We Pay For”. According to him, a journalist who wants the blue badge and wants to go back on replies must pay it every month. Otherwise, he must fall back into anonymity.
Total chaos on Twitter soon?
The impossibility of easily distinguishing a real verified account from a Twitter Blue account has been a problem for weeks already, while many controversial accounts have bought blue badges in large numbers to spread misinformation. If tomorrow, it’s Twitter Blue accounts with a blue badge, Twitter could be an even more different social network.
In the case of public figures like a celebrity, how is Twitter going to vouch for them and want them to use a platform that looks like a normal account if they don’t pay, whereas any impersonator can impersonate her. Easily. In the case of the soccer example mentioned above, are we to imagine that all clubs pay thousands of dollars every month to Twitter to endorse their players, with no other benefit? This business model is strange and puts money before safety.
What will actually happen on the 1st?R April? At best, we can count on Elon Musk for humor. Otherwise, it can be hoped that another system will be put in place to recognize a public figure, for example, with a caption on his profile. But Elon Musk has proven that it is difficult to predict.
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