SAN FRANCISCO

Twitter has introduced a subscription service for $7.99 a month that features a blue test now given solely to verified accounts as new proprietor Elon Musk works to overtake the platform’s verification system simply forward of U.S. midterm elections.

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In an replace to Apple iOS units obtainable within the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.Okay., Twitter mentioned customers who “join now” for the brand new “Twitter Blue with verification” can obtain the blue test subsequent to their names “similar to the celebrities, corporations and politicians you already comply with.”

However Twitter worker Esther Crawford tweeted Saturday that the “new Blue isn’t dwell but, the dash to our launch continues however some people may even see us making updates as a result of we’re testing and pushing adjustments in real-time.” Verified accounts didn’t look like dropping their checks to date.

It was not instantly clear when the subscription would go dwell. Crawford instructed The Related Press in a Twitter message that it’s coming “quickly but it surely hasn’t launched but.” Twitter didn’t instantly reply to a message looking for remark.

Anybody with the ability to get the blue test might result in confusion and the rise of disinformation forward of Tuesday’s elections, however Musk tweeted Saturday in response to a query in regards to the threat of impostors impersonating verified profiles, equivalent to politicians and election officers, that “Twitter will droop the account trying impersonation and preserve the cash!”

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“So if scammers need to do that one million instances, that’s only a entire bunch of free cash,” he mentioned.

However many worry widespread layoffs that started Friday might intestine the guardrails of content material moderation and verification on the social platform that public companies, election boards, police departments and information retailers use to maintain individuals reliably knowledgeable.

The change will finish Twitter’s present verification system, which was launched in 2009 to forestall impersonations of high-profile accounts equivalent to celebrities and politicians. Twitter now has about 423,000 verified accounts, lots of them rank-and-file journalists from across the globe that the corporate verified no matter what number of followers that they had.

Specialists have raised grave considerations about upending the platform’s verification system that, whereas not excellent, has helped Twitter’s 238 million day by day customers decide whether or not accounts they get info from are genuine. Present verified accounts embrace celebrities, athletes and influencers, together with authorities companies and politicians worldwide, journalists and information retailers, activists, companies and types, and Musk himself.

“He is aware of the blue test has worth, and he’s making an attempt to take advantage of it shortly,” mentioned Jennifer Grygiel, a social media knowledgeable and affiliate professor of communications at Syracuse College. “He must earn the belief of the individuals earlier than he can promote them something. Why would you purchase a automobile from a salesman that you recognize has primarily proved to be chaotic?”

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The replace Twitter made to the iOS model of its app doesn’t point out verification as a part of the brand new blue test system.

To date, the replace just isn’t obtainable on Android units.

Musk, who had earlier mentioned he desires to “confirm all people” on Twitter, has floated that public figures could be recognized in methods aside from the blue test. At the moment, for example, authorities officers are recognized with textual content below names stating they’re posting from an official authorities account.

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President Joe Biden’s @POTUS account, for instance, says in grey letters it belongs to a “United States authorities official.”

Seven-time System One champion Lewis Hamilton, who has 7.8 million Twitter followers, instructed the AP, “I might truly simply delete my Twitter account, I by no means use it. I discover it actually wholesome to delete social media from my cellphone for intervals of time.”

“Nevertheless it’s additionally a extremely highly effective instrument to attach with individuals, so I respect that and I attempt to use it as that and never as one thing that’s veering me astray of the journey that I’m on in life,” he mentioned.

The announcement comes a day after Twitter started shedding employees to chop prices and as extra corporations are pausing promoting on the platform as a cautious company world waits to see how the platform will function below its new proprietor.

About half of the corporate’s workers of seven,500 was let go, tweeted Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of security and integrity.

He mentioned the corporate’s front-line content material moderation workers was the group the least affected by the job cuts and that “efforts on election integrity , together with dangerous misinformation that may suppress the vote and combatting state-backed info operations , stay a high precedence.”

Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey took blame for the job losses.

“I personal the duty for why everyone seems to be on this scenario: I grew the corporate dimension too shortly,” he tweeted Saturday. “I apologize for that.”

Musk tweeted late Friday that there was no alternative however to chop jobs “when the corporate is dropping over $4M/day.” He didn’t present particulars on the day by day losses at Twitter and mentioned workers who misplaced their jobs have been supplied three months’ pay as severance.

He additionally mentioned Twitter has already seen “a large drop in income” as advertisers face strain from activists to get off the platform, which closely depends on promoting to earn a living.

United Airways on Saturday turned the most recent main model to pause promoting on Twitter, becoming a member of corporations together with Normal Motors, REI, Normal Mills and Audi.

Musk tried to reassure advertisers final week, saying Twitter wouldn’t turn into a “free-for-all hellscape” due to what he calls his dedication to free speech.

However considerations stay about whether or not a lighter contact on content material moderation at Twitter will lead to customers sending out extra offensive tweets. That would harm corporations’ manufacturers if their ads seem subsequent to them.

U.N. Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Saturday urged Musk to “guarantee human rights are central to the administration of Twitter.” In an open letter, Turk mentioned stories that the corporate’s entire human rights group and far of the moral AI group have been laid off was not “an encouraging begin.”

“Like all corporations, Twitter wants to grasp the harms related to its platform and take steps to deal with them,” Turk mentioned. “Respect for our shared human rights ought to set the guardrails for the platform’s use and evolution.”

In the meantime, Twitter can’t merely lower prices to develop earnings, and Musk wants to seek out methods to lift extra income, mentioned Dan Ives, an analyst with Wedbush. However that could be simpler mentioned than achieved with the brand new subscription program for blue checks.

“Customers have gotten this without cost,” Ives mentioned. “There could also be huge pushback.”

He expects 20% to 25% of Twitter’s verified customers to enroll initially. The stakes are excessive for Musk and Twitter to get this proper early and for signups to work easily, he added.

“You don’t have a second probability to make a primary impression,” Ives mentioned. “It’s been a train-wreck first week for Musk proudly owning the Twitter platform. Now you’ve lower 50% (of the workforce). There are questions on simply the steadiness of the platform, and advertisers are watching this with a eager eye.”