Twitter will mark the accounts of government officials, media outlets, and other public figures with an “official” label once changes to the platform’s blue checkmarks come into force.
New owner Elon Musk has wasted little time in implementing his ideas, chiefly revamping the Twitter Blue subscription service and moving the recognisable ticks behind its monthly paywall.
The world’s richest man said the change – to be rolled out after the midterms – would give “power to the people”, allowing anyone to have the checkmark, rather than only those in public-facing roles.
But now it’s emerged that many of those already verified accounts will be given a new tag on their profiles so that people know they’re legitimate.
“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,” said the company’s early stage products executive Esther Crawford.
“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.
“The new Twitter Blue does not include ID verification – it’s an opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features. We’ll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types.”
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What it means for verified accounts
Musk had decried the existing verification scheme as a “lords and peasants system”.
Some observers suggested allowing anyone to become verified may help crack down on bots and fake accounts.
But news that the paid blue checkmarks will no longer reflect any form of ID verification puts paid to that idea.
It means more accounts could end up with two tags, both a blue tick if they pay and an official label if they fall under Twitter’s new criteria.
They will appear much as existing labels for government and state-affiliated accounts do now.
For example, Rishi Sunak’s account has a blue tick and a “United Kingdom government official” label.
