The micro-blogging platform, Twitter, has said that it will add a gray “official badge” to some of the high-profile accounts to indicate that they are authentic while the platform’s current blue-tick system to confirm the authenticity of a certain account will go away. Esther Crawford, the company’s early-stage products executive, tweeted; “A lot of folks have asked about how you’ll be able to distinguish between TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the “Official” label to select accounts when we launch.”
A lot of folks have asked about how you'll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the “Official" label to select accounts when we launch. pic.twitter.com/0p2Ae5nWpO
— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) November 8, 2022
Official Badge to Curb Misinformation
The official badge that will demarcate the authentic and fake accounts will also help to limit the spread of false information or fake news. Musk was of the view that opening the verification process for common people will help democratize Twitter and it will also cut down the spam and bot accounts on the platform, which had remained the biggest concern for Elon Musk while he presented the $44 billion Twitter deal.
Crawford mentioned that those receiving the official grey badge will include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers, and some public figures. Under the current blue tick system, there are about 423,000 verified accounts that belong to celebrities, businesses, politicians, and media outlets.
Three Types of Accounts: Official, Paid, and Unlabeled
With the new system in place, the types of accounts will be divided into three, namely; official, paid, and unlabeled. The official accounts will be of authentic officials having a grey badge, while the paid Twitter blue subscribers will get the blue tick, and the others to choose to use the services without paying any charges will be the unlabeled ones. Crawford explained; “The new Twitter Blue does not include ID verification — it’s an opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features. We’ll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types.”
Also read: Twitter Delays $7.99 ‘Blue Tick’ Subscription Plan Rollout
