Sources: Twitter is strongly considering taking away its verified users' badges if they don't subscribe to Twitter Blue

Under pressure to generate revenue quickly, Twitter's new CEO considers ending free verification — Twitter is strongly considering making its users pay to remain verified …

Platformer 2022-10-31 Casey Newton

Context & Ripple Effects

Twitter had already established that verification could be revoked under revised verification guidelines. The current proposal would change that from an account-status enforcement tool into a recurring Twitter Blue entitlement, alongside a reported $20-a-month verification plan.

Related coverage shows the idea moving quickly from consideration toward a planned paid-verification rollout with a grace period for existing badge holders. It matters because the checkmark's meaning would be tied to payment rather than solely to the platform's verification process.

First-order effects

Existing verified users who do not subscribe to Twitter Blue risk losing the badge, while Twitter Blue becomes the route to retaining it.
Twitter gains a direct subscription conversion lever by attaching continued badge access to recurring payment.

Second-order effects

The shift weakens the badge as a standalone signal of account authentication, increasing the value of Twitter's own subscriber label and verification rules.
Twitter's later requirement that advertisers hold a checkmark or subscribe to a paid tier to keep running ads extends the same paid-status logic from prominent users to business customers.

Third-order effects

If sustained, Twitter's verification system becomes a tiered access product rather than a primarily platform-granted credential, with payment status shaping visibility and commercial participation.
The model points to subscription monetization being embedded in core platform identity features, making trust signals dependent on product packaging as well as account review.

The trend: Twitter is turning verification from a platform-administered trust signal into a paid subscription and business-access mechanism.

Discussion

Twitter Help Center Twitter Help Center on x
About Twitter Blue — We're exploring ways to make the Twitter experience next level—and Twitter Blue is just the beginning.
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
Some news from inside Elon's war room: Twitter is strongly considering making verified users pay $4.99 a month to keep their badges. Many questions remain. Subscribe to read ➡️ https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@tiffanycli Tiffany C. Li on x
Let individual users buy blue check marks if they verify ID, fine. But don't do it unless you can commit to a system of carveouts for news organizations, government, non-profits, educational orgs, health orgs, and other critical public-facing institutions and individuals.
@brendannyhan Brendan Nyhan on x
If every account followed by @verified subscribes b/c of this shakedown, that's $26M/year. Musk owes $1B/year in interest. Not sure this is the magical solution. (And the risk of chasing verified users off the platform and confusing everyone seems.... not worth $26M/year.) https:…
@emilygorcenski @emilygorcenski on x
There are about 300k verified Twitter accounts. If every single account opted to pay this fee, this would bring in about $18m in revenue yearly. That's enough to pay off the $44B purchance price in slightly less than 2500 years. https://twitter.com/...
@broderick Ryan Broderick on x
Monetizing the vanity of blue check Twitter addicts is unfortunately extremely funny https://twitter.com/...
@ketanj0 Ketan Joshi on x
Scoop from @CaseyNewton - Musk's first big monetisation move will be forcing verified users to pay to stay verified This is going to be a fun death spiral https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@hankgreen Hank Green on x
Hilarious thing is, I'm a current twitter Blue subscriber, but I'll need to unsubscribe if they make verification conditional to having a Twitter Blue subscription because paying for a check mark is 100% cringe. @TwitterBlue https://twitter.com/...
@blackamazon @blackamazon on x
It's so funny that when I got mine , I found four fakes, some calling for my death, and as someone working in Trust and safety needed them to do parts of my job HILARIOUS https://twitter.com/...
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on x
the biggest concern: when people decide not to pay for this and then users get misled by impersonator accounts https://twitter.com/...
@g_e_anderson Gregory Anderson on x
Twitter is done. It was a good run until the narcissistic billionaire who was born on third and thinks he hit a triple took over #TwitterMigration #Twitterpocalypse https://twitter.com/...
@iamjohnales John Ales AF on x
DEMOCRATIZE TWITTER! https://twitter.com/...
@ascannerburkely @ascannerburkely on x
This will be so funny. Totally likely Musk bought the site to drive it into the ground but it's funnier if he does it unintentionally. https://twitter.com/...
@pjbrown_iii Pete Brown on x
Considering that Elon is genuinely one of the most active and engaged users on this platform, it is increasingly shocking how little he knows & understands about what his user-base as a whole actually wants from this product #Elon #Twitter https://twitter.com/...
@nedostup Matt Nedostup on x
I'll really miss having trolls say “how did YOU get verified?” along with zero positive effects https://twitter.com/...
@anylaurie16 @anylaurie16 on x
I will block any blue check who pays for it. Have some fucking dignity. https://twitter.com/...
@robynelyse Robyn Pennacchia on x
This is really just meant to play into the rw idea of “blue checks” being some kind of reward for being fancy or special rather than a way of denoting that it is someone's actual profile — which is important to those of us who care if things are actually true or not. https://twit…
@bboy_izilla Isaiah on x
Blue check class solidarity is about to be a thing. https://twitter.com/...
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
I never asked for my bluecheck and would gladly give it up. As far as I can tell, to date, the only benefit has been that people yell at your about “bluechecks.” I'd be open to paying for Twitter Blue not for a bluecheck, but if it actually offered something of value. https://twi…
@acnewman @acnewman on x
Yeah, they can have mine back. https://twitter.com/...
@davekarpf Dave Karpf on x
Great news, folks! Casey reports that David Sacks (a total goober. A complete techbro yes-man. The equivalent of Turtle in Peter Thiel's Entourage.) is working with Elon to turn this company around. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@pippuri Sami Pippuri on x
If Twitter couple this with a promotional program for active users, so that those don't actually have to pay, it could work out. People could think they get something valuable ‘for free’ https://twitter.com/...
@geekgirldiva @geekgirldiva on x
They'll make Twitter Blue 8.99 so you can filter out the newly verified RW trolls. https://twitter.com/...
@brianyoung Brian Young on x
LOL, people pretending there's any economic path forward for Elon. There's a reason he desperately tried to back out of the deal, and it's the same reason Twitter fought so hard to keep it. It's a disastrous deal https://twitter.com/...
@mgerrydoyle Gerry Doyle on x
yeah, I mean... the whole point of the blue checkmark is that it *can't* be bought—it's a signifier of who you are. (and @BDHerzinger will back me up on this, I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the world of verified accounts) https://twitter.com/...
@cfq Mehmet Duran on x
Exactly how I felt this morning after reading the latest scoop. All social media has disintegrated to a self-eating ouroboros against metrics and ad revenue optimisation but twitter was the only one left for text. Pour one out https://twitter.com/...
@cari_luna Cari Luna on x
What benefit exactly do they think we get from the blue checks that we would be willing to pay to keep them? And who on earth would want a badge that showed you were foolish enough to pay for twitter? https://twitter.com/...
@demsinarray @demsinarray on x
Desperation setting in over at HQ. And y'all don't want to stick around to watch the fun? https://twitter.com/...
@jamessurowiecki James Surowiecki on x
“We're going to charge you to produce content for us.” https://twitter.com/...
@noahpinion @noahpinion on x
Make bluechecks pay $49.99 a month and all other users pay $4.99 a month https://twitter.com/...
@davidoatkins David Atkins on x
I canceled my Twitter Blue. Elon can take my checkmark, and I don't care. Tiny price to pay to watch him light $44B on fire. https://twitter.com/...
@iansherr Ian Sherr on x
As if blue badges weren't considered elitist enough before https://twitter.com/...
@edbott Ed Bott on x
Twitter Blue Check? Pretty close to literally owning the libs here. https://twitter.com/...
@tyburr Ty Burr on x
AYFKM? The short goodbye. https://twitter.com/...
@alwaystheself Professor Fleming on x
Literally never paying a dime for or to this site. https://twitter.com/...
@jhweissmann Jordan Weissmann on x
I am pretty sure I wouldn't, just on principle. https://twitter.com/...
@joshuamzeitz Joshua Zeitz on x
Hahahaha. They can have it back. Like I care. https://twitter.com/...
@jtemple James Temple on x
Nope, nope, nope. https://twitter.com/...
@jamesgleick James Gleick on x
I think I have one of those blue checks. I won't be paying Elon for the privilege of identifying myself as someone willing to pay money to Elon. https://twitter.com/...
@stephenwarwick9 Stephen Warwick on x
We've gone from it should be easier to get verified and everyone should be verified to make it a paid feature 😂 https://twitter.com/...
@mattgurney Matt Gurney on x
This may go against the grain but I think I'm fine with this? As much as I enjoy talking Trek and hockey with y'all I'd dump this hellsite in a moment if it wasn't providing me tangible business value. But it is. I'm okay being a customer. I might be better off being a customer! …
@justkelly_ok @justkelly_ok on x
This would suck a lot for the people who actually need verification for what it was actually *meant* to do: differentiate real people from impersonator accounts, that are often created to harass. It's like asking me to pay for harassment protection. I'm not laughing 🤷🏻‍♀️ https:/…
@trentbwrites Joshua Trent Brown on x
Yeah I'll just give it up then https://twitter.com/...
@tcarmody Tim Carmody on x
Or charging the verified would just piss off a lot of the influential people you'd otherwise want to keep active and happy and using the platform. Tough call!
@r0wdy_ @r0wdy_ on x
I'm actually ok with this is if everyone is given the ability to verify their identity if they want to. Big or small accounts. The check should be just that, verification of identity, not authority or social capital https://twitter.com/...
@brookeobie Lumberjack Brooke on x
Yall should be paying ME https://twitter.com/...
@kazweida Kaz Weida on x
Ship. Meet iceberg. 🚢 🧊 https://twitter.com/...
@tonyromm Tony Romm on x
lol https://twitter.com/...
@saintsforecast Ralph Malbrough on x
Adios blue check mark. Whatever https://twitter.com/...
@enerianna @enerianna on x
unverified irene coming soon https://twitter.com/...
@adamsinger Adam Singer on x
@Techmeme @CaseyNewton I literally already pay
@tcarmody Tim Carmody on x
That's one way to squeeze out some revenue I guess https://twitter.com/...
@coreyschreppel Corey Schreppel on x
Non-profit newsrooms gonna be doing the math to figure out if they wanna spring $5-$10k a year to keep their staff and branded accounts verified. https://twitter.com/...
@nichcarlson Nich Carlson on x
Um. Why would I pay for this checkmark? https://twitter.com/...
@ronjeffries Ron Jeffries on x
I like being verified. I don't /need/ to be verified. https://twitter.com/...
@todgoldberg Tod Goldberg on x
How about this: You get nothing. https://twitter.com/...
@petergleick Peter Gleick on x
I like the blue check, but certainly won't pay for it. Furthermore, if this goes thru, the blue check just becomes something you bought, not something you got for bringing value to the site. https://twitter.com/...
@danushman Dan Ushman on x
Liberals: “OMG I'm Gonna Die” Terror over content moderation Conservatives: “Unicorns Are Real And Poop Ice Cream” Euphoria over content moderation Elon Musk: “I'm delegating moderation to a ‘committee,’ suckers! Now, how do I milk as much money out of twitter as possible?” https…
@shahmiruk Shahmir Sanni on x
Weak, imo. The option to have a verification badge should be available to EVERYONE on this app who can confirm their identity. And if the line of work requires anonymity then that can go through the current verification process that is already available. https://twitter.com/...
@jtemple James Temple on x
Nahh, I won't be paying for the privilege of generating free content and driving engagement on a website that, by accounts, is about to become a less secure, less safe haven for rightwing disinformation. https://twitter.com/...
@malwaretechblog Marcus Hutchins on x
Can't see myself paying $20/month to be verified. Not that I wouldn't pay for Twitter, but pay-to-play verification is just going to gatekeep poor people while also enabling dubious accounts to buy legitimacy. https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@randyrenstrom Randy Renstrom on x
Charging money for the privilege of having a star is the exact same scheme Sylvester McMonkey McBean hatches in Dr. Seuss's “The Sneetches” https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@tiffanycli Tiffany C. Li on x
This makes sense if you view verified badges as status symbols and not what they were supposed to be: trust marks to certify identity so people can rely on what they see being said on Twitter. It's a plan that makes sense if truth/trust on social media doesn't matter to you. http…
@exiledsurfer Michael Parenti on x
i'd happily pay $5 a month to be verified, and $10 a month to have a no ads or algorithm twitter timeline https://twitter.com/...
@mattgertz Matthew Gertz on x
Ah so the plan is to charge users money for things that make the site usable (like identifying if an account is real or fake). What else is on the monetization list? Make users pay to block someone? https://twitter.com/...
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
Again, I'm open to paying for Twitter Blue if it provided worthwhile value. What's there now isn't enough for $5/month. And verification is literally meaningless for me. We'll see what else they come up with, but so far... all of these ideas seem to make the site worse.
@laurendane @laurendane on x
Ugh. No thanks. I'd pay to keep out the racist scum that fill up the gutters here, but it looks like gutter scum is the new user base and I can get abused anywhere for free. https://twitter.com/...
@felixsalmon Felix Salmon on x
...immediately turning the checkmark into an “I'm so vain, I think this checkmark is worth $60/yr” signifier. Even people who *want* the checkmark won't want to be seen to be paying Elon Musk for it. https://twitter.com/...
@martinsfp @martinsfp on x
Ooh, Twitter verification could become linked to the Blue subscription- pay up or lose your checkmark. Maybe even get verified as part of the Blue subscription. https://open.substack.com/...
@meghanor Meghan O'Rourke on x
This makes little sense to me, since so many blue-check people already feel they are offering up free content. Why wouldn't we all just start newsletters and then advertise them on other social platforms. (Hmm...) https://twitter.com/...
@pbump Philip Bump on x
The point of verification was to aid the platform, not the users? To show that people can trust accounts on Twitter represent those people. Just because some think it's a status marker doesn't mean it is monetizable. https://twitter.com/...
@lancestorm Lance Storm on x
When you are Verified you are more accountable, because people know it's you saying it. If people lose their verification because they don't want to pay for it, Twitter just gets worse. A small one time fee to get verified is reasonable. No way I pay monthly for it https://twitte…

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