Elon Musk has said Twitter is to charge $8 (£7) monthly to Twitter users who want a blue tick by their name indicating a verified account or page.
As part of changes after a $44bn (£38bn) takeover of the social media site, Elon Musk said it was “essential to defeat spam/scam”.
A blue tick mark next to a username – normally for high-profile figures – is currently free.
The move could make it difficult to identify reliable sources, say critics.
Elon Musk added that paid users would have priority in replies and searches, and half as many advertisements.
“Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” the billionaire said on Twitter, criticizing the old method of blue tick verification as a “lords and peasants system”.
Twitter’s former method of verifying users for a blue tick included a short online application form and was reserved for those whose identities were targets for impersonation, such as celebrities, politicians and journalists.
The company introduced the system in 2009 after it faced a lawsuit accusing it of not doing enough to prevent imposter accounts.
Hence Musk is facing a hefty challenge as he works to overhaul Twitter’s business, which has not posted a profit in years.
He has said he wants to reduce Twitter’s reliance on advertising, even as some companies have grown concerned about advertising on the site under his leadership.
In the meantime, some other major brands have more quietly put a temporary halt to advertising on the platform as they wait to see how Musk’s changes play out, a media buyer for a leading advertising firm told the international news media.
On Monday, 31st October, one of the world’s biggest advertising companies, IPG, advised its clients to suspend Twitter adverts for a week, citing a need for more clarity on Twitter’s plans to ensure “trust and safety” on the platform. IPG is given billions of pounds per year, by some of the world’s biggest brands, to handle their marketing budgets.
The charge for blue tick privileges drew skepticism after original reports that said the charge could be $20 (£18) monthly.
Many on the platform echoed the statement of author Stephen King, who wrote in response to reports of changes that instead Twitter “should pay me”.
Elon Musk wrote to Stephen King saying, “We need to pay the bills somehow!”
