Twitter’s “official” grey checkmarks seem to be returning to accounts belonging to businesses, publications, and other prominent personalities. On November 9th, the website released its official badges – the ones that can only be obtained via its new $8 Blue membership programme. But, only a few hours later, it suspended the rollout and removed them from accounts that already had them. Twitter VP Esther Crawford indicated that the checkmarks would return; however, the social network would only distribute them to “government and business institutions” at first.
According to reports, the emblem has begun to resurface on brand and corporation accounts such as Coca-and Cola’s Nintendo of America. The grey checkmark is also visible on Twitter’s own accounts. And several magazines, like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Wired, now have them. It’s unclear if the rollout has genuinely begun this time, or whether it’s related to the deluge of imposter and parody accounts that have inundated the website since its $8 verification began.
Going forward, accounts engaged in parody must include “parody” in their name, not just in bio
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 11, 2022
Fake accounts paid for a subscription and were validated shortly after the company’s paid verification mechanism became online. As a result, legitimate-looking accounts began tweeting strange things, such as a fake Nintendo of America uploading an image of Mario giving Twitter the middle finger and a fake LeBron James seeking a trade. Twitter claimed Wednesday on its support account that it is not yet “placing an ‘Official’ mark on accounts,” but that it is “aggressively going against impersonation and fraud.” The grey checkmark, on the other hand, may assist users in determining if they are working with legitimate businesses or famous individuals.
In reaction to the problem, the firm adopted a new rule that prevents accounts registered on or after November 9th from receiving rapid verification via its $8 Blue membership. Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, has declared that from now on, accounts doing parody impersonation must include the term “parody” in their name, not only in their bio. That has been a part of Twitter’s policy for years, but we expect the service to enforce it more aggressively in light of recent events.
