How Elon Musk will revamp Twitter verification, blue check mark process – USA TODAY

The process to gain a coveted blue check mark on Twitter may soon change. 

New “Chief Twit” Elon Musk said Twitter will revise its verification process amid reports the company plans to charge $20 per month to be verified.

That idea will likely stay in play, after Musk indicated Monday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that he will remain CEO of the newly purchased social media platform.

“The whole verification process is being revamped right now,” Musk tweeted Sunday, without offering any details on what exactly might change. 

But reports have said Twitter is considering charging users to keep their verified status under Twitter Blue, the social media site’s subscription service with premium features. Technology newsletter Platformer and The Verge first reported the news Sunday. 

According to current Twitter’s current verification requirements, the blue verified badge is meant to signal the authenticity of accounts of public interest.

The reports of changes in the verification process came just days after Musk closed the deal to buy Twitter after months of legal wrangling between the billionaire and the company’s management. 

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How much does Twitter verification cost?

The current Twitter verification process is free, but the account must be “authentic, notable and active” to receive a blue check mark, according to current requirements. 

Twitter, however, is reportedly considering a plan that would require users to subscribe to Twitter Blue at $4.99 a month or face losing their verified badges, Platformer reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Meanwhile, The Verge, citing internal correspondence and unnamed sources, reported the social media platform would raise the price of Twitter Blue from $4.99 to $19.99 per month, and verified users would have 90 days to subscribe or lose the blue badge.

Twitter Blue was launched in June last year and gives subscribers “exclusive access to premium features,” including an option to edit tweets.

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What’s the blue check mark on Twitter?

The blue badge lets users know an account’s authenticity has been verified by Twitter. Public figures such as politicians, athletes and journalists are typically verified. 

Verified accounts are identified with a blue check mark badge next to their display name. 

How do I get verified on Twitter?

To get the blue check mark, Twitter requires eligible accounts to be “notable and active” and fall into one of its seven categories for verification:

• Government
• News organizations and individuals in news
• Companies, brands and organizations
• Entertainment
• Sports and gaming
• Activists and organizers
• Content creators and influential individuals

Accounts ineligible for verification include parody and unofficial fan accounts and individuals or groups associated with “coordinated harmful activity or hateful content.” 

To apply, users need to confirm their identity by providing a link to an official website, a photo of a government-issued identification document, or an official email address. The type of evidence users need to submit depends on the categories for verification under which they fall. 

Twitter may remove blue badges from inactive and incomplete accounts and from accounts that have severely or repeatedly violated rules.

Do you want to get verified on Twitter?: Here’s how to get the blue check mark

Will Twitter bring back Vine?

Musk’s vision for Twitter will likely bring other big changes at the company. Musk has instructed Twitter engineers to work on a reboot of the six-second video platform Vine, Axios reported Monday. 

Twitter shut down Vine in 2016, just three years after launching the service. Axios, citing unnamed sources, said the Vine reboot could be ready by the end of the year. 

Separately, The Verge reported Musk told engineers to look into how much work it would take to bring back the video service. 

Musk tweeted a poll on Sunday asking if he should bring back Vine.

What else has Musk changed at Twitter? 

Twitter’s board was dissolved after Musk took over the company, making him sole director, according to a securities filing. 

The company said all nine members of the board of directors were ousted as of the consummation of the $44 billion merger that closed Thursday.

One of Musk’s first moves as owner of Twitter was also firing top executives, including the company’s CEO Parag Agrawal.

News that Musk will continue as CEO of Twitter was not unexpected. But his ability to run five major companies, including Twitter, SpaceX, The Boring Company, Tesla and Neuralink, at the same time has raised questions about how well those duties may be executed.

“Tesla Inc. boss Elon Musk said in a filing on Monday he will serve as chief executive of Twitter, the social media company he just bought for $44 billion, a move that Wall Street analysts have said could stretch the billionaire thin,” Reuters reports. ” … Some staff who spoke with Reuters said they had received little communication from Musk or other leaders and were using news reports to piece together what was happening at the company.”