NEWYORK –
Twitter on Saturday launched an $8-a-month subscription service that includes a blue checkmark now granted to verified accounts as new owner Elon Musk overhauls its verification system. platform just before the US midterm elections.
In an update to Apple’s iOS devices, Twitter said users who “sign up now” can get a blue checkmark next to their name “just like celebrities, companies, and governments do.” the ruler you’ve been following.”
This change represents the end of Twitter’s current verification system, which was introduced in 2009 to prevent impersonation of well-known accounts such as celebrities and politicians. Before the overhaul, Twitter had about 423,000 verified accounts, many of which were rated journalists and profiles from around the world that the company verified regardless of how many followers they had. .
Experts have raised serious concerns about the strengthening of the platform’s verification system, which, while imperfect, has helped Twitter’s 238 million daily users determine whether accounts they received notifications for whether the news is authentic or not. The update Twitter made to the iOS version of the app doesn’t mention verification as part of the new “blue check” system.
It comes a day after the company began laying off workers to cut costs and an increasing number of companies halted Twitter advertising as a cautious corporate world waits to see how the company will perform. under the new owner.
Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of safety and integrity, said about half of the company’s 7,500 employees have been laid off.
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey on Saturday apologized for the widespread job losses. He has had two runs as CEO of Twitter, the most recent lasting from 2015 to 2021.
“I hold myself accountable for why people get into this situation: I scaled the company so fast,” he tweeted. “I’m sorry for that.”
Musk tweeted late Friday that he had no choice but to cut jobs “when the company is losing more than $4 million/day.” He did not provide details of daily losses at the company and said employees who lost their jobs were offered three months’ salary as a severance pay.
Meanwhile, Twitter has seen a “major drop in revenue” due to pressure from activist groups on advertisers forced to leave the platform, Musk wrote on Twitter on Friday. That seriously affects Twitter because Twitter has traditionally relied too much on advertising to make money. For the first six months of this year, nearly $92 of the $100 in revenue it generated came from advertising.
United Airlines becomes the latest major brand to pause advertising on Twitter. Chicago-based United confirmed Saturday that it had made the move but declined to discuss its rationale or what it needs to see in order to continue advertising on the platform.
It joined the growing list of major companies halting Twitter advertising, including General Motors, REI, General Mills and Audi.
Last week, Musk tried to reassure advertisers, saying Twitter won’t become a “freedom hell for all” because of what he calls a commitment to free speech.
But concerns remain about whether Twitter’s gentler censorship will prompt users to send out more offensive tweets. That can hurt companies’ brands if their ads appear next to them.
