Verified users on Twitter may soon have to pay to retain their blue tick badges, according to a report by the Verge on Sunday, as the company’s new owner Elon Musk looks for new ways to monetize the social media platform.
In a characteristic vague tweet, Musk on Sunday said the “whole verification process” was being revamped, without providing any details.
Earlier on Sunday, journalist Casey Newton first reported that Musk is planning to charge verified accounts by paywalling the feature behind the subscription service Twitter Blue which presently costs $4.99 a month.
Citing people familiar with the matter and “internal correspondence,” the Verge reported later Sunday that Twitter will charge $19.99 for an upgraded Twitter Blue subscription and currently verified users will have 90 days to sign up before they lose their verified badge.
According to the report, Musk wants the feature to launch by November 7 and the team working on it have been warned they will be fired if they fail to meet that deadline.
It is unclear how this change will apply to verified accounts of government institutions, political leaders or companies, although Musk has previously indicated he wants to charge these entities to use Twitter.