Previously, the blue tick symbol was reserved for accounts that Twitter had vetted and determined to be genuine. But after its acquisition, Elon Musk announced that anyone could buy a tick for $8.00 a month in the US and £6.99 in the UK, as part of the Twitter Blue service. Now the social networking site is full of accounts pretending to be brands, celebrities and politicians. A verified account purporting to be former US President George W. Bush tweeted: “I miss killing Iraqis.” Shortly afterwards another account, one claiming to be former Prime Minister Tony Blair, tweeted the fake Bush account saying: “Same tbh”. Another account claiming to be Nintendo posted a photo of Super Mario making an offensive gesture, while another purporting to be OJ Simpson tweeted: “Yeah, I didn’t do that.” Another user impersonating basketball superstar LeBron James said he was “officially requesting a trade.” And even Twitter wasn’t immune to the chaos, with someone impersonating the company’s corporate account convincing many it was genuine. Many of the accounts were subsequently suspended, while others identified as “parody” remained. Until now, the verification badge was only given to reputable or high-profile accounts that Twitter had analyzed and deemed authentic, but now the only hurdle to clear is for the user to pay the monthly fee. Apple iOS users in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can now sign up and pay for the service, which will badge them with a blue tick next to their profile name on platform. Musk responded to the criticism by arguing that adding a paid tier to the platform will help weed out spam and fake accounts because they won’t be willing to pay to gain traction on the site. Twitter Blue is also set to add a feature that will promote replies to tweets from verified accounts as a way to weed out those who haven’t been verified on the site, as part of a series of other perks the company said are “coming soon” to the subscription. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 1:31 Sky science and technology editor Tom Clarke takes a look at what’s happening in Silicon Valley – and asks if ‘big tech’ is dying. Read More Musk stops working from home on Twitter and warns of ‘tough times ahead’ after mass layoffs But critics have warned it will enable a new wave of misinformation as bad actors sign up for the badge and then pose as public figures to spread false information. Twitter is committed to eliminating any false or misleading use of the system and says it will not allow users to change their display names after receiving a badge. Twitter’s online help pages state that the definition of the blue checkmark is “changing” as part of the update. “Until now, Twitter has used the blue check mark to indicate active, reputable and authentic public interest accounts that Twitter has independently verified based on certain requirements,” the company says. Image: Big Ideas Live 2022 For more on science and technology, explore the future with Sky News at Big Ideas Live 2022. Find out more and book tickets here “Now the blue checkmark can mean two different things: either that an account has been verified against the previous verification criteria (active, notable, and authentic) or that the account has an active Twitter Blue subscription.” Currently, accounts verified under the old system are allowed to keep their own blue badges. By clicking on the blue tick that appears on different accounts, users will see a pop-up message indicating which of the two categories the person belongs to. Sky News has contacted Twitter for comment.
