Twitter to manage verification fiasco with new gray check mark
What's the story
Twitter has a solution for those who are worried that the platform's new $8/month verification process will not curb the impersonation of official accounts - a gray check mark.
Who will get them? Select accounts belonging to governments, companies, or public figures.
The new initiative was announced by Esther Crawford, who's heading the Twitter Blue program.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Twitter-acquisition/story">new Twitter of Elon Musk is still figuring out what it wants to be. As a result, we are seeing more reactive measures than proactive ones from the company these days.
The gray check mark initiative is one of them. Once it is launched, Twitter will have a double verification system.
The question is, doesn't that make things more complicated than required?
Gary tick
The gray tick will appear alongside an 'Official' label
Twitter will out the new Twitter Blue today. With that, the once-coveted blue tick will be accessible to every user.
To distinguish Twitter Blue subscribers from verified official users, the company is planning to introduce a new gray tick and an "Official" label.
A preview posted by Crawford shows that the new check mark will appear below the display and user name.
Recipients
Twitter will decide who gets the gray tick
Will every previously verified user get the "Official" label and the gray tick? According to Crawford, no.
The gray tick will be allotted to select users, and Twitter will be the one making the call on the recipients.
"Government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers, and some public figures" will get the gray tick. It won't be available for purchase.
Reason
New Twitter Blue-based verification process may not curb impersonation
The gray tick and the "Official" label are Twitter's way of addressing an issue that everyone has been pointing out - blue ticks won't be able to stop people from impersonating official accounts.
Musk himself was at the receiving end of this when users with a tick created parody accounts of him. It seems that the company understands this problem at some level.
Twitter Post
Twitter tries to allay fears about new verification process
A lot of folks have asked about how you'll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the “Official" label to select accounts when we launch. pic.twitter.com/0p2Ae5nWpO
— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) November 8, 2022