He called it the “only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over”. It is otherwise a “hopeless losing battle”, he said. You need to have a verified account to vote in polls “for the same reason”, he added.
Rockstar Games’ Ben Sutcliffe said, “I don’t get behind this decision. You need to invest money into talent and AI tech to detect bots on the platform. This isn’t the way to go. It could tarnish the platform.” In his reply, Musk predicted that Twitter “will be the only platform you can trust”.
This decision came after Musk revealed last week that all users with “legacy” verification would lose their badges in the following month. As a result, only those who subscribe to Twitter Blue for $8 per month will be able to maintain their blue checks.
In January, Twitter introduced the algorithmic “For You” timeline, allowing users to view popular tweets from accounts they don’t follow. Meanwhile, the “Following” tab only displays content from followed accounts.
Twitter initially introduced verified accounts in 2009 to differentiate genuine accounts of public interest, such as those belonging to celebrities, politicians, news outlets, companies, and brands, from parody or impersonator accounts. Until now, the company didn’t charge for verification.
However, Elon Musk’s new verification policy has sparked concerns about misinformation on the platform, as anyone who can afford it could try to impersonate a public figure under the guise of being verified. Nevertheless, Twitter is taking measures to prevent this by reviewing Twitter Blue accounts before granting them verification status.
