Twitter appeared to be launching an overhaul of its “blue check” system for user verification on Saturday, with a message in the Apple app store offering a new $7.99 subscription to “Twitter Blue,” including an automatic blue tick for subscriber accounts.
With just three days before the midterm elections, and a day after layoffs cut half the company’s staff, new owner Elon Musk has sent concerns across the political and media landscape about the possibility that the platform could see an increase in misinformation and fake accounts.
It was unclear whether the program was intended to be live, or just in a partial presentation stage on Saturday. It didn’t seem to work: A previously unverified journalist signed up for the new service on Saturday. Their card was charged $4.99 per month instead of the advertised $7.99 per month, and a blue check didn’t appear alongside their name on the app.
