The Twitter verification drama continues.
When Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October he made the surprising announcement that anyone could obtain the coveted blue checkmark, as long as they pay $8.
Many verified Twitter users were angry about it, claiming people would have no way of telling who was a notable figure and who was impersonating one.
After experiencing his own bout of impersonation drama, the company introduced an "official" tag Wednesday morning that would give verified users an extra tag to indicate they are who they say they are.
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But just as quickly as it was given, it was taken away.
A few hours after users began noticing the "official" tag, they disappeared.
Musk confirmed he "killed it" saying, "Blue check will be the great leveler."
\u201c@MKBHD I just killed it\u201d— Marques Brownlee (@Marques Brownlee) 1668011726
As of now, those who pay the $8 for Twitter Blue and verification do not need to include an ID, making it easy for people trolling online to appear as a public figure or celebrity.
Musk and the Twitter engineering team are working to find a way to help people distinguish between real verified users.
"Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months," Musk tweeted. "We will keep what works and change what doesn't."
\u201cPlease note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months. \n\nWe will keep what works & change what doesn\u2019t.\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1668012287
Twitter engineer Esther Crawford responded to Musk's tweet adding, "Elon is willing to try lots of things -- many will fail, some will succeed. The goal is to find the right mix of successful changes to ensure the long-term health and growth of the business."
But the quick U-turn on the verification badge garnered criticism.
\u201cTwitter Official Verification lasted longer than CNN+\u201d— Harrison (@Harrison) 1668014189
\u201cyou mean to tell me they scrapped the only way to verify an account as official after royally fucking up the verification system? what the hell is elon doing\u201d— Spidass-Frontiers (@Spidass-Frontiers) 1668014754
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