Twitter appears to have stopped implementing the recently announced $8 blue tick subscription as the number of fraudulent accounts rose.
Furthermore, Elon Musk, the new owner, has moved to reinstate the “official” badge for some Twitter users.
Before only verified accounts of public figures like journalists, politicians, and celebrities could display the coveted blue check mark.
To help Twitter generate more revenue, Musk earlier this week announced a pricey membership option that would be accessible to anyone willing to pay.
Since the most recent deployment, fake accounts masquerading as significant companies have appeared with the blue check, including those for Elon Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX, as well as popular video game developer Roblox, multinational Nestle, pharmaceutical behemoth Eli Lilly, and Lockheed Martin.
The “Official” label has been added to some accounts in order to combat impersonation, according to a tweet from Twitter’s support account on Friday.
The initial announcement of the label was announced on Wednesday, but Musk “killed” it hours later.
But some people decided to troll Twitter because of its uncertainty.
Musk has fired almost half of Twitter’s staff, ousted the company’s board of directors and top executives, and hinted at Twitter’s potential bankruptcy.
The US Federal Trade Commission stated on Thursday that it was “deeply concerned” about Twitter.
On Friday, a number of users claimed that the brand-new subscription option for the blue verification check mark was no longer available, and a source told Reuters that the service has been discontinued.
A request for comment from Twitter received no response.
