Will you pay for a blue tick on Twitter?

New Twitter CEO Elon Musk is still getting settled in. However, users' reactions to reports that he intends to start charging users for their blue tick verification have been mixed, with the majority holding the opinion that this will lead to a misinformation campaign.

It is widely believed that the discussed feature will be incorporated into Twitter Blue, a paid membership tier of the service that debuted a few months back.

Reports are circulating that Twitter is considering a change to its verification process in which users would have to pay to have their profiles checked and gain the coveted blue checkmark next to their names.

The verification of your Twitter profile and acquisition of the verified badge is currently an opt-in process. If your profile passes review and you meet the criteria set forth by the Twitter team, you receive confirmation of this fact.

Musk's open distaste for the $4.99 per month product, which is admittedly not appealing to anyone outside of power users, has been well-documented. The word making rounds on Twitter is that the new owner of Twitter wants to charge users $20 per month for a verified blue check, as reported by The Verge.

Currently, Twitter Blue subscribers get the option to customise the look of the Twitter app icon on their phone and gain access to upcoming features like the edit button. One can also get a feed of the most discussed articles from the people you follow and the people they follow, as well as advertisement-free access to certain news sources.

The controversial ideas of Elon Musk for Twitter include verifying all human users and making the algorithm open source, originally an idea floated by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who went a step further and proposed making people pay Dogecoin to tweet, which many thought to be his worst idea ever.  

“I have an idea for a blockchain social media system that does both payments and short text messages/links like Twitter. You have to pay a tiny amount to register your message on the chain, which will cut out the vast majority of spam and bots. There is no throat to choke, so free speech is guaranteed,” Dorsey had been quoted back then.

As soon as news of Musk's $44 billion offer to acquire Twitter broke, angel investor Jason Calacanis reached out to him. Calacanis, an early investor in both Uber and Robinhood, not only attempted to raise funds to aid Musk in the acquisition but also provided advice and lobbied to have him take over as Twitter's chief executive.

A supporter of paying to get verified on Twitter, Calacanis tweeted a poll asking people, ‘How much would you pay to be verified & get a blue check-mark on Twitter?’ He gave $5, 10, and 15 along with 'wouldn’t pay' as options. Along with some 1,907,291 votes being polled on day two of the five-day poll when results are to be revealed, the poll received several interesting comments.

Consultant psychiatrist Soumitra Pathare of Pune, India's Ruby Hall Clinic, who has a verified Twitter handle but has decided not to renew it, said, “You didn't ask me before paying over the top to buy Twitter. Anyway, it's your company, you can do as you please. I am not paying anything, blue tick/not. Twitter was a place for conversations. I am sure there will be other platforms,” he said in a tweet.

Another user who supported Musk’s reported move to monetise Twitter suggested having tiers that would be divided into Basic, Creator, and Business with real-person verification, analytics, and top tweets besides priority DMs being offered. 

In response, a user posted his 2020 blog post titled 'What if Twitter had a paid tier?' The user, Tom Kubik, wrote that the platform was free to use, with ~87% of its revenue coming from Ads and the remainder from "data services & other".   

According to The Verge report, Twitter plans to charge $19.99 (roughly Rs 1647) per month for the new Twitter Blue service. Those who are already marked as Verified would lose that status if they don't subscribe within 90 days. Also, the sources claim that everyone involved in the project was informed on Sunday that they have until November 7 to roll out the feature or risk losing their jobs.

Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday that "the whole verification process is being revamped right now."

The latest developments are consistent with Musk's confirmation, and they indicate that it may soon cost you money to earn the verified badge on Twitter. Meanwhile, observers worried that scammers might try to get their profile verified for $19.99 to appear legitimate on the platform, raising questions about what other requirements the process would need.