New Twitter owner Elon Musk is already making a drastic overhaul to the popular social media app by announcing that users will need to pay $20 a month for the Twitter Blue service to maintain verified account status. If the new Twitter policy is not in effect by November 7, Musk has promised to fire the team of engineers tasked with completing the programming. Existing verified accounts will have to sign up for Twitter Blue within 90 days to maintain their blue checkmark.

After attempting to terminate his agreement to purchase Twitter, Elon Musk had to go through with the original Twitter purchase price of $44 billion by October 28. Failure to complete the purchase of Twitter would have resulted in Musk paying a multi-billion dollar fine for breaking his agreement with Twitter. A lawsuit filed by Twitter was halted by a United States Federal Judge until October 28, allowing Musk time to complete his purchase of the messaging app.

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Before Elon Musk purchased Twitter, the coveted blue checkmark was meant to convey that an account was of the public interest and was authentic, notable, and active. Users had to pass a multi-step verification process to receive the blue checkmark, which already placed undue stress on smaller accounts. Elon mentioned that a subscription to Twitter Blue would be required for a verified checkmark from now on, which is the first mention of a change to the subscription service. The Twitter Blue service was only $4.99 a month and allowed users to edit their tweets in addition to allowing early access to new features. Within days of Musk's purchase of Twitter going through that has all changed with further changes, such as potential PVP and RPG elements coming to Twitter, a distinct possibility.

Elon Musk Twitter

Twitter Charging for Verification Could Impact Many Users

One of Elon Musk's largest complaints after launching his purchase bid on Twitter was the number of bots and fake accounts on the service. In addition to charging users for the blue verification checkmark, Musk has said that "the whole verification process is being revamped right now" in an attempt to limit the number of bots and fake accounts. Some critics of Elon Musk are saying that charging for an existing free feature is one way to offset the loss of ad revenue and make up some of the company's lost value. Large advertisers, such as General Motors, which is in direct competition with Musk's flagship Tesla company, have pulled all advertising and marketing from Twitter.

Video game publisher Devolver Digital tweeted that they will not have a blue verification checkmark in 90 days as they will not be paying for the service. Similarly, gaming journalist Nibel announced that he is leaving Twitter as a direct result of Musk's purchase of the platform. Gaming accounts both large and small are re-evaluating their reliance on Twitter in the wake of Musk's announcement regarding changes to verification. There is growing concern among Twitter users regarding what further changes Musk will make to the platform in light of the $20 monthly charge verification. Paying for Twitter Blue when the most popular use of the service was an edit button for tweets is one thing, but users have grown to rely on the blue verification check to show that an account is representative of the person or brand.

One of the prominent voices that agree with Elon Musk about Twitter is former Disney Executive Bob Iger, who stated in a recent interview that Twitter does have a problem with fake accounts. While it is true that the scope of bots and fake accounts on Twitter is unknown, such accounts rarely have a verification check on their profile in the first place. Charging existing verified accounts, when they are proven to not be bots or fake accounts, does not appear to solve the problem that initially caused Musk to pull out of the deal with Twitter. Regardless of how anyone feels about Elon Musk's comments or actions since acquiring Twitter, it is clear that large changes will continue to shake up one of the most popular social media apps in the world.

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