Twitter Restores 'Official' Label; $8 Blue Check Mark Option Vanishes o5j4d Technology News

Fake s of several big brands have popped up with the blue check, including Tesla and SpaceX as well as Roblox, Nestle and Lockheed Martin. 6o151b

By Reuters | Updated: 11 November 2022 23:50 IST

Twitter Restores 'Official' Label; $8 Blue Check Mark Option Vanishes

Elon Musk said Twitter s impersonating without specifying "parody" will be suspended 6t2833

Highlights

Elon Musk previously allowed s to pay $8 for coveted blue check mark
Elon Musk said his companies will be well-positioned in 2023
Many companies have paused from advertising on the platform

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Elon Musk's Twitter on Friday brought back the "official" badge to some s, just days after doing away with it, while several s reported the new subscription option for the blue verification check mark had disappeared.

The move follows a surge in fake s on the platform after new boss Elon Musk allowed s to pay $8 (nearly Rs. 650) for the coveted blue check mark that was previously reserved for verified s of politicians, actors and other major personalities.

Fake s of several big brands have popped up with the blue check, including Musk's SpaceX as well as Roblox, Nestle and Lockheed Martin.

"To combat impersonation, we've added an 'Official' label to some s," Twitter's — which has the "official" tag — tweeted on Friday. Musk on Wednesday tweeted he had "killed" the new label, just hours after rolling it out.

Drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co issued an apology after an imposter tweeted that insulin would be free, amid political backlash and scrutiny into the high prices of the medicine.

"We apologise to those who have been served a misleading message from a fake Lilly ," the company said, reiterating the name of its Twitter handle.

Among other examples, a number of misleading Tweets about Tesla from a verified with the same profile picture as the company's official were being circulated on the platform.

"Twitter has over the past several years worked to try to improve that (misinformation). And it seems like Elon Musk has unraveled it within a matter of weeks," AJ Bauer, a professor at the University of Alabama said.

Musk had said Twitter s engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying it as a "parody" will be permanently suspended without a warning. Several fake brand s, including those of Nintendo and BP, have been suspended.

Meanwhile, many s said the option to sign up for Twitter Blue, the subscription service that comes with blue check verification, had disappeared.

Twitter did not reply to a request for comment on that.

Earlier in the day, Musk said his companies will be well-positioned in 2023 despite the possibility of a tough economy.

Musk's tweet came a day after he brought up the likelihood of Twitter going bankrupt. In his first company-wide email, Musk warned that Twitter would not be able to "survive the economic downturn" if it fails to boost subscription revenue to offset falling advertising income, three people who saw the message told Reuters.

Many companies, including General Motors and United Airlines, have paused or pulled back from advertising on the platform after Musk took over. In response, the billionaire said on Wednesday he aimed to turn Twitter into a force for truth and stop fake s.

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