Is Blue tick accounts still a sign of authenticity? (Read more...)

The once-free blue check mark given to verified accounts on Twitter will soon available to any Twitter Blue user who pays $7.99 per month. Since 2009, blue-checked accounts had been distributed to users through a verification process as a way to separate authentic accounts from impersonators.

An update to the Twitter app on iOS devices in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. said that users who sign up now can receive the blue check “just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow.” Despite the name of the new Twitter Blue feature, Twitter has not specified any requirements needed to verify a user`s authenticity beyond the monthly fee.

The Twitter Blue check marks aren`t exactly the same as the ones granted before Musk`s takeover — at least for now. If you click on a blue check on an account`s profile page, a window pops up telling you if the account is verified because it belongs to someone “notable” (i.e., was given the check before Musk bought Twitter), or if it`s because the person paid for it through Twitter Blue. Could be notable, but could also be bogus.” When the legacy blue checks do go away, as Musk said they will, that will all be a moot point anyway.