Twitter verification is now just $8, but that doesn’t mean the social network has completely democratised its long-standing status symbol. The Twitter verification badge is now divided into two categories: accounts that were officially verified as “notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category,” and accounts that paid for the checkmark by subscribing to Twitter Blue. However, distinguishing between the two types of verified accounts without visiting their individual profiles can be difficult, which is why one Twitter user created a tool to help.
Eight Dollars is a simple browser extension that replaces Twitter’s standard verification badge with two different labels that indicate whether an account is “actually verified” or “paid for verification.” Without the extension, you’d have to click on a user’s profile, then tap on the verification checkmark to see if the user’s check was approved by Twitter staff or purchased through Twitter Blue, but Eight Dollars puts that information right in your timeline.
If you're confused by the new Twitter Verification feature, I've been working with some friends on a Chrome Extension that helps you tell the differencehttps://t.co/zXkwzhXIc1 pic.twitter.com/pHTBswBnnE
— Walter Lim (@iWaltzAround) November 10, 2022
The extension was initially only available for Chrome, but New Zealand designer Walter Lim claims it should work with Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Safari, and he’s added Safari to his to-do list. Installing any of them will need some additional effort: the add-on is presently only accessible on GitHub and must be manually installed using the browser’s developer mode. Even so, it can be worth the effort if you don’t mind getting duped by tired bogus accounts and impersonators.
