Elon Musk’s Twitter brought back the “official” badge on some accounts on Friday, just days after it was scrapped, while several users reported that the new subscription option for the blue verification check mark had disappeared.
The move comes after a surge in fake accounts on the platform after the new boss Elon Musk The users were allowed to pay $ 8 (about Rs 650) for the iconic blue check mark, which was earlier reserved for verified accounts of politicians, actors and other prominent personalities.
Fake accounts of big brands including Musk’s have surfaced with blue checks Tesla And SpaceX Also Robox, Nestle and Lockheed Martin.
“To combat impersonation, we have added an ‘official’ label to some accounts,” Twitter’s support account – which has an “official” tag – tweeted Friday. Musk tweeted Wednesday that he “killed” the new label just hours after it was rolled out.
Drameper Elli Lily & Co. issued an apology after being tweeted by a hypocritical account that insulin would be insulin free amidst political reaction and high prices of drugs.
The company reiterated the name of its Twitter handle, saying, “We apologize to those who have been given misleading messages from the fake Lily account.”
In other instances, multiple misleading tweets were being circulated on the platform about Tesla from a verified account with a profile picture similar to the company’s official account.
AJ Bauer, a professor at the University of Alabama, said, “Twitter has tried to correct this (misinformation) over the years. And it looks like Elon Musk has sorted it out in a matter of weeks.”
Musk had said that Twitter users impersonating someone without explicitly specifying it as a “parody” account would be suspended permanently without warning. Several fake brand accounts have been suspended, including Nintendo and BP.
Meanwhile many users told the option to sign up Twitter BlueThe subscription service that came with Blue Check Verification had disappeared.
Twitter did not respond to the request of comment on that.
Earlier in the day, Musk said his companies would be in good shape in 2023 despite the prospect of a tough economy.
Musk’s tweet comes a day after he revealed the possibility of Twitter going bankrupt. In his first company-wide email, Musk warned that if Twitter fails to boost subscription revenue to offset falling ad revenue, Twitter will not be able to “avoid the ensuing economic downturn,” read the message. Three people told Reuters.
Several companies, including General Motors and United Airlines, have stopped advertising on the platform or withdrawn after Musk took over. In response, the billionaire said on Wednesday that he aimed to make Twitter a force of truth and stop fake accounts.
© Thomson Reuters 2022