Today, Elon Musk announced an innovative solution to the impersonation problem: verified Twitter accounts will actually be verified.
In addition, there will now be three different checkmark colors for your enjoyment based on chroma and #8230 ;
Musk made the announcement this morning.
Sorry for the delay, we are tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week.
Gold check for businesses, gray check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated prior to activating verification. It hurts, but it's necessary.
The owner of Twitter says the same blue checked checkmark will apply to all people. Previous criteria “famous people” According to him, the test was too subjective.
If verified individuals are part of a verified organization, they may have an additional logo indicating that they have been verified by the verified organization.
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The brief ad leaves a number of questions unanswered, the main one being how verify the identity of Twitter Blue subscribers.
The previous system was for Twitter to require proof of identity in the form of a photo of a government-issued photo ID—usually a passport or driver's license. From Musk's link to the “manual” and “painful” check, looks like this might be the plan for Twitter Blue check too.
We noted earlier that verification with the payment card used to purchase a subscription is not sufficient protection. Apps like Revolut offer disposable cards for online transactions, and they can be created under literally any name. Here's one I just added to my account (no need to bow when you meet, a simple nod of your head is enough):
Musk also announced the results of his poll on whether almost all previously banned and suspended accounts should be reinstated – again with the same misunderstanding of the Latin quote he used to support his position.
People have spoken. The amnesty will begin next week. Vox Populi, Vox Dei.
As NPR correspondent David Gura noted, when Musk used the same quote to announce the lifting of Trump's ban, the full quote means exactly the opposite of what Musk had in mind.
Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit.
“And one should not listen to those people who say that the voice of the people is the voice of God , because the riot of the crowd is always very close to madness.”
9to5Mac’s Take
All the chaos of Musk's new (old) verification policy was caused by the fact that anyone could change their Twitter name to anything and then buy a Twitter Blue subscription to get the same. a blue checkmark used for those whose identity has actually been verified.
Applying the same identity verification process to Twitter Blue followers solves this problem. At least not with the exception of any pranksters who share the same name as public figures.
However, there is another potential problem: will old accounts remain verified if they are not following Twitter Blue? Almost all verified people I know (myself included) are not going to sign up to keep our ticks, so we can end up in a situation where a lot of new people are verified and previously verified people are not. It's not as bad a situation as copycat, but it can still cause confusion when it comes to which sources to trust.
Musk has promised more details, so we'll have to wait and see for now.
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