It costs eight dollars a month, but it’s not worth much anymore. On November 9, the traditional blue badge for account authentication was briefly replaced by a new gray badge accompanied by the mention “Official”, which accompanies certain sensitive accounts, to prevent any identity theft. The latter came to stay under the user’s name, but also in each Tweet. An initiative that finally did not convince Elon Musk, the new owner of the company, who announced that they deleted it.
ephemeral gray badge
According to the explanations of a Twitter executive, this new gray badge was intended to appear in all tweets from government accounts, companies, but also from media and public figures, as long as the social network could formally identify the authentication of the account.
In fact, it mainly came to compensate for the evolution of the blue badge, which until now occupied this account authentication function, but which is now offered to any user paying $8 a month.
Although the blue badge item was originally intended to protect the accounts in question, it has become coveted by many Internet users, associating it with a distinctive and rewarding item. To replenish Twitter’s coffers, its new owner, Elon Musk, has decided to allow any user to display it for a fee, but without identity verification.
This change of heart on the fate of the second badge is all the more surprising given that Elon Musk he himself mentioned a second badge to guarantee the authenticity of Twitter accounts. Now removed, the gray badge leaves a social network with no way for Internet users to distinguish genuine accounts from fake ones.
“Keep in mind that Twitter will do a lot of stupid things in the coming months. We’ll keep what works and change what doesn’t.” has added Elon Musk this November 9.
Source: BFM TV
