Elon take over, Twitter may start charging for verification – media

New owner Elon Musk has given staff until November 7 to upgrade the platform’s premium subscription, the Verge reports

Those wishing to keep their blue checkmarks on Twitter may have to pay $19.99 per month under the platform’s new owner Elon Musk, the Verge reported on Monday.

According to the outlet, Musk, who acquired the platform in a $44 billion deal last week, has given the relevant staff until November 7 to make changes to Twitter Blue premium subscription or be sacked.

New features, including verification, are expected to be added to the subscription in order to bring it up to par with the quadrupling of the price, the Verge said.

Current Twitter Blue users would have 90 days to switch to the new tariff after its introduction, otherwise they would lose their blue checkmarks, it added.

Musk, who now calls himself “Chief Twit,” confirmed on Twitter on Sunday that “the whole verification process is being revamped right now.”

The world’s richest man had earlier spoken about his desire to grow subscription numbers to account for half of Twitter’s revenue. He was also unhappy with the verification process on the platform, insisting that it needed an overhaul.

The Twitter Blue subscription was launched a year ago, offering users an opportunity to view articles from certain publishers without advertising, along with more customization options.

Musk said that he acquired Twitter in order to turn it into “a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.” On Friday, he announced that a special panel would be set up to review the accounts of users who were banned under the previous management. One of the first moves by the new owner was firing Twitter chief executive Parag Agrawal and several other of the company’s top managers.