Twitter is delaying the rollout of account verifications for its paid Twitter Blue membership program until after the midterm elections, a source with knowledge of the decision confirmed to CNN.
The decision to pull the new feature comes a day after the platform released an updated version of its iOS app that promises to allow users who pay a monthly subscription to have a blue checkmark on their profiles, a feature that CEO Elon Musk suggested as way to combat spam on the platform.
The app’s latest update was unveiled on Apple’s App Store, stating that users will now have to pay $7.99 a month for the company’s Twitter Blue verification feature, “as well as the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow ». The tick mark has long been used to authenticate government officials, celebrities and journalists.
CNN’s test of the service Saturday afternoon showed the rollout was not yet complete before Sunday’s decision. A new Twitter account created by CNN that opted into the paid feature did not display the check mark on its public profile. Twitter also seemed to charge $4.99, an outdated price.
The decision to delay the rollout comes as the whole decision to charge users for verification has faced widespread public backlash. In a show of defiance, some celebrities on the platform posed as Musk over the weekend and exposed a possible flaw in the “Blue Check” system.
Comedian Sarah Silverman used her verified account to troll Musk by copying his profile picture, cover picture and name. The only thing that distinguished a tweet coming to Silverman’s account was the handle @SarahKSilverman.
“I’m a fan of free speech and I eat doody for breakfast every day,” Silverman tweeted Saturday. Her account also retweeted posts supporting Democratic candidates.
Silverman’s account was marked as “temporarily restricted” on Sunday, with a warning that “there has been some unusual activity from this account” displayed to visitors before clicking on the profile. The comedian then changed her account back to its usual form, with her own name and picture.
TV actress Valerie Bertinelli similarly changed her account name to Twitter CEO, tweeting on Friday that “[t]That blue check just meant that your identity was verified. Fraudsters will have a harder time impersonating you. This is no longer the case. Good luck out there!” He then responded to a follower who asked how the check mark no longer applies, writing:[y]you can buy a blue checkmark for $7.99 a month without verifying who you are.”
After changing her profile name to Musk, Bertinelli tweeted and retweeted her support of several Democratic candidates and hashtags, including “VoteBlueForDemocracy” and “#VoteBlueIn2022.”
The actress changed her account name back to Valerie Bertinelli on Sunday, tweeting:[o]key-dokey I had fun and I think I made my point.”
On Sunday, Musk tweeted that, “Going forward, anyone operating Twitter who engages in impersonation without clearly identifying the ‘spoof’ will be permanently suspended.” He also tweeted that a Twitter name change would “cause the verified checkmark to be temporarily lost.”
In addition, Musk said that Twitter users will no longer receive a warning before being suspended. “This will be clearly identified as a condition of signing up for Twitter Blue,” he tweeted.
Comedian Kathy Griffin’s account was also suspended for impersonating the CEO of Twitter.
The trolling activity comes in the wake of Musk’s purchase of the company and a pledge to reinstate user accounts previously banned from the platform, most notably former President Donald Trump. Musk also said he would tighten the company’s content restrictions and require paid subscriptions for account verification.
In recent months, Musk has shared conspiracy theories about attacking Paul Pelosi, who has called Democrats the party of “division and hate,” compared the former Twitter CEO to Joseph Stalin, and warned that the “vigilance virus it will destroy civilization.”
— CNN’s Brian Fung contributed to this report.
