Twitter owner Elon Musk announced late Monday that only verified accounts will appear in “for you” recommendations. The announcement comes a week after Musk saidthose with “legacy” verified accounts could have their blue check removed on April 1 unless they pay for the Twitter Blue service.
Twitter said those wishing to keep a blue check mark can pay $8 a month for its Twitter Blue service.
“The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle,” Musk said in a tweet. “Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.”
Only tweets from verified users will appear on the "for you" feed starting April 15, Musk said.
“That said, it’s ok to have verified bot accounts if they follow terms of service & don’t impersonate a human,” Musk added.
Who's who on Twitter? 'Verified' impostors blur the lines
Impostors have always been a problem on social media, but some worry that Twitter's new verification process is a step in the wrong direction.
Prior to Musk’s ownership, Twitter used verification to distinguish real accounts from impostors.
Twitter placed blue check marks on accounts belonging to people and organizations prone to be imitated by copycat accounts. Many official governments, political organizations and leaders have verification badges.
Also, many celebrities and journalists have blue check marks.
“It’s more about treating everyone equally. There shouldn’t be a different standard for celebrities [in my opinion],” Musk tweeted to actor William Shatner.
For individuals who are verified, Twitter generally requires users to confirm their identity. But after Elon Musk took control of Twitter last year, he vowed to change the verification process.
“The whole verification process is being revamped right now," he said last year.
“The blue Verified badge on Twitter lets people know that an account of public interest is authentic,” Twitter previously said. “To be Verified, your account must be notable and active.” Now, those with legacy blue check marks have the following message: “This is a legacy verified account. It may or may not be notable.”
