Musk defends paid Twitter as blue tick ultimatum looms
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The change in system puts pressure on companies, journalists and celebrities who use Twitter as their main channel of communication and rely on the blue tick for credibility.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – Billionaire Elon Musk on Friday defended his controversial pay model for Twitter,
Mr Musk made his prediction on the eve of Twitter’s April 1 ultimatum
“The fundamental challenge here is that it’s (easy) to create literally 10,000 or 100,000 fake Twitter accounts using just one computer at home and with modern AI (artificial intelligence),” he told a question-and-answer session on Twitter.
“That’s the reason for really pressing hard on verified (accounts) where the verified requires a number from a reputable phone carrier and a credit card,” he said.
“My prediction is that any so-called social media network that doesn’t do this will fail,” he added.
The change in system puts pressure on companies, journalists and celebrities who use Twitter as their main channel of communication and rely on the blue tick for credibility.
It also raises the spectre of imposters and jokesters paying for an officially verified but totally fake account.
In the United States, the subscription plan, known as Twitter Blue, costs US$8 (S$10.65) a month or US$84 a year; it costs US$11 a month if bought through Apple’s App Store.
Since its creation in 2009, the blue tick or checkmark has turned into a signature element, helping Twitter become a trusted forum for newsmakers and campaigners.
But Mr Musk and his fans said the blue check was decided by fiat in a secretive procedure, and called it a symbol of an unfair class system.
Opening the blue tick to paying subscribers was among the first decisions made by Mr Musk when he took ownership of Twitter in 2022, but his overhaul backfired. Within hours, Twitter was flooded by fake yet verified accounts impersonating celebrities, major firms and even Mr Musk himself.
Although he swiftly backtracked, many advertisers fled the site, denying Twitter a major source of income that the chief executive is struggling to replace.
For now, blue checks of celebrities – including pop star Justin Bieber and his 113 million followers or footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and his 108 million – are tagged on the site as “legacy” accounts.
The verified account conundrum also involves officials, charities and news media companies.
Already, the White House, which will keep a special designation as a government entity, told employees it would not pay to have its staff’s official Twitter profiles retain the blue tick, Axios reported.
News media companies, firms and charities have already lost their blue tick, and are tagged as verified business accounts under Mr Musk’s new system.
According to Twitter’s website, these cost a hefty fee of US$1,000 a month in the US, and US$50 for each additional affiliated account.
“This will be awful for those who can’t afford the new fees,” said Mr Andrew Stroehlein, European media director of Human Rights Watch, who said his group would not pay for the privilege.
“It will damage the effectiveness of local activists, including human rights activists, who have long used Twitter for grassroots organising,” he added in a blog post.
The New York Times said it will not pay for a verified business account and that it would subscribe for a blue tick for journalists only when essential for reporting needs.
The “pay to play” verification model is also being tested by Twitter rival Facebook in Australia and New Zealand, which has also drawn major criticism.
Much is riding on Mr Musk’s ability to find a business model for Twitter. Last week, he put the current value of Twitter at US$20 billion,
