This week, the business updated the Twitter Blue service and began charging $8 per month for a checkmark (formerly used to indicate that an account was verified). Impersonation, fake accounts, and frauds have already become a minefield as a result.
According to a Twitter employee, the rapid launch of the sponsored checkmark scheme, enforced by new owner Elon Musk, evaded the standard privacy review procedure. “The individuals generally responsible with these things were given little warning, little time, and [it’s] ridiculous to believe [the privacy assessment] was complete,” the employee said, noting that none of the team’s suggestions were implemented before the new Twitter Blue went live. That team could only examine potential hazards the night before Twitter pushed out the redesigned service.
