SAN FRANCISCO -- Twitter launched a subscription service for $7.99 a month that includes a blue check now given only to verified accounts as new owner Elon Musk overhauls the platform's verification system Saturday.
In an update to Apple iOS devices available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., Twitter said users who "sign up now" for the new "Twitter Blue with verification" can receive the blue check next to their names "just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow."
But Twitter employee Esther Crawford tweeted Saturday that the "new Blue isn't live yet -- the sprint to our launch continues but some folks may see us making updates because we are testing and pushing changes in real time." Verified accounts did not appear to be losing their checks so far.
It was not immediately clear when the subscription would go live, and Crawford did not immediately respond to a message to clarify the timing. Twitter also did not immediately respond to a message for comment.
Anyone being able to get the blue check could lead to confusion and the rise of disinformation ahead of Tuesday's elections if impostors decide to pay for the subscription and co-opt the names of politicians and election officials.
Along with widespread layoffs that began Friday, many fear the social platform that public agencies, election boards, police departments and news outlets use to keep people reliably informed could become lawless if content moderation and verification are chipped away.
The change represents the end of Twitter's current verification system, which was launched in 2009 to prevent impersonations of high-profile accounts such as celebrities and politicians. Before the overhaul, Twitter had about 423,000 verified accounts.
Experts have raised concerns about upending the platform's verification system that has helped Twitter's 238 million daily users determine whether the accounts they were getting information from were authentic. Current verified accounts include celebrities and other high-profile public figures, along with government agencies and officials, journalists and news outlets, activists and businesses.
The update Twitter made to the Apple version of its app does not mention verification as part of the new blue-check system. So far, the update is not available on Android devices.
Musk has floated the idea that public figures would be identified in ways other than the blue check. Currently, government officials are identified with text under their names stating that they are posting from an official government account.
Yoel Roth, Twitter's head of safety and integrity, tweeted that the company's front-line content moderation staff was the group least affected by the job cuts and "efforts on election integrity -- including harmful misinformation that can suppress the vote and combating state-backed information operations -- remain a top priority."
Musk tweeted Friday that there was no choice but to cut jobs "when the company is losing over $4M/day." He did not provide details on the daily losses at Twitter and said employees who lost their jobs were offered three months' pay as severance.
He said the platform has already seen "a massive drop in revenue" because of pressure from activist groups on advertisers to get off the platform, Musk tweeted Friday. During the first six months of this year, nearly $92 of every $100 it made in revenue came from advertising.
United Airlines became the latest major brand to pause advertising on Twitter, joining companies including REI, General Mills and Audi.
Twitter cannot simply cut costs to grow profits, and Musk needs to find ways to raise more revenue, said Dan Ives, an analyst with Wedbush. But that may be easier said than done with the new subscription program for blue checks.
"Users have gotten this for free," Ives said. "There may be massive pushback."
But concerns remain about whether a lighter touch on content moderation at Twitter will result in users sending out more offensive tweets. That could hurt companies' brands if their advertisements appear next to them.
Information for this article was contributed by Stan Choe of The Associated Press.
People walk outside Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. Employees were bracing for widespread layoffs at Twitter on Friday, as new owner Elon Musk overhauls the social platform. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
A Twitter headquarters sign is shown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. Employees were bracing for widespread layoffs at Twitter on Friday, as new owner Elon Musk overhauls the social platform. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Baron Capital Group Chairman and CEO Ron Baron interviews Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the 29th Annual Baron Investment Conference in New York City on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. ( Baron Capital via AP)