Twitter reactivates its gray “Official” badge for select high-profile accounts, after a wave of impersonators bought blue checks

Okay, so Twitter broke its own verification system by making the blue check — previously a signal that the account had provided information …

The Verge 2022-11-11 Elizabeth Lopatto

Context & Ripple Effects

Twitter had planned to separate a non-purchasable “Official” label from its relaunched Blue subscription, limiting it to some formerly verified accounts. The impersonation wave forced a rapid return to that distinction for brands and outlets, alongside a temporary pause in Twitter Blue sign-ups.

Later coverage shows the distinction did not settle into a stable verification system: Twitter broadened the meaning of blue checks to cover subscribers and legacy accounts in a revised checkmark disclosure, then attached Blue status to some large accounts that said they had not subscribed.

First-order effects

Selected high-profile accounts regain an account-authenticity signal that paid Blue checks no longer provide on their own.
Twitter must operate two visible identity tiers—purchasable Blue and selectively assigned Official—while it addresses impersonation affecting brands, politicians, and celebrities.

Second-order effects

Brands and outlets now have a clearer reason to seek or retain the Official designation, making Twitter’s selective eligibility decisions central to account trust.
The Blue product’s value proposition weakens when its badge cannot reliably distinguish authentic institutional accounts, increasing pressure on Twitter to explain what each label certifies.

Third-order effects

Twitter’s later restoration of checkmarks to accounts with one million or more followers points to verification becoming a platform-controlled distribution and status tool, rather than a single user-earned identity signal.
If this layered-label approach persists, social platforms will increasingly separate paid features from provenance indicators, with the credibility of each depending on clear eligibility rules.

The trend: Social platforms are splitting paid subscriptions from provenance signals after monetized badges exposed the limits of a single visual marker for identity.

Discussion

@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
Going forward, accounts engaged in parody must include “parody” in their name, not just in bio
@jasonschreier Jason Schreier on x
Can't imagine why all the advertisers are pulling out of Twitter lmao https://twitter.com/...
@lillypad @lillypad on x
We apologize to those who have been served a misleading message from a fake Lilly account. Our official Twitter account is @LillyPad.
@dieworkwear Derek Guy on x
https://twitter.com/...
@donie Donie O'Sullivan on x
Twitter has verified Jesus Christ. h/t @Shayan86 https://twitter.com/...
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
I see the “verification” system is going juuuuuuuuuuuust great. https://twitter.com/...
@kariiakeaz Kari Lake on x
It is with heavy heart that I must concede to my opponent, @katiehobbs. We didn't get the outcome we wanted but I promise we'll be back even stronger in next year's gubernatorial election.
@ycpaulg Paul Graham on x
Jason Calacanis is no longer welcome at YC Demo Days, Tech Talks, or the yearly YC 69 under 69 Muir Woods Startup Suck-n-Fuck.
@hardin Brandon Hardin on x
elon basically forcing brands to tweet things like “we're sorry you ever thought insulin could be free,” incredible scenes https://twitter.com/...
@akiperitz Aki Peritz on x
This tweet has been up for 16 hours. Something something something brand reputation https://twitter.com/...
@twittersupport @twittersupport on x
To combat impersonation, we've added an “Official” label to some accounts.
@steinkobbe @steinkobbe on x
@TwitterSupport There's no “official” label on your account. How do I know this is real?
@anthony Anthony DeRosa on x
This is a reversal of the previous policy that removed the Official labels after the earlier policy of adding them: https://twitter.com/...
@jeremypeppas Jeremy Peppas on x
Some enterprising tech writer, @TaylorLorenz or @CaseyNewton maybe, should do a story in the absolute panic that has set in at some federal/state agencies about the twitter meltdown. Many are limited on social to only Twitter and their primary outreach tool is a mess.
@alanisnking Alanis King on x
Can you imagine spending $44 billion to do this to yourself https://twitter.com/...
@byyourlogic @byyourlogic on x
Twitter now: 😂😂😂 triggered by the blue check I bought? 😂😂😂 Twitter exactly 1 year from now: thank you to Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd for giving us the opportunity to share wonderful greetings and images on your subsidiary, Twitter
@spacexofficiall @spacexofficiall on x
It is with a heavy heart that we announce that we will be ceasing all missions. We plan to funnel $240 million in outstanding government subsidies to groups dedicated to sustainable agriculture and ending World Hunger. We cannot look to other planets to solve our problems here.
@nestledeathcult @nestledeathcult on x
We steal your water and sell it back to you lol
@egoraptor @egoraptor on x
To combat impersonation, we've added an “official” label to Elon's account, and then, I guess, to some other people's accounts or whatever https://twitter.com/...
@bendreyfuss Ben Dreyfuss on x
The official labels are back? Lol https://twitter.com/...
@realsaavedra Ryan Saavedra on x
Yeah, this will be done in a fair manner (sarcasm) https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x
Twitter seems to have unlaunched the new $7.99 Twitter Blue subscription Checked with Twitter's API and the in-app purchase for Twitter Blue Verified is no longer listed for production
@jarjarfan69 Nude Gingrich on x
Twitter Blue has been permanently disabled after a verified Nintendo Macedonia account posted a picture of pregnant Luigi showing his prolapsed butthole to Waluigi. It was viewed 8 million times.
@emeyersson Erik Meyersson on x
“Perhaps Twitter Blue it.” https://www.theverge.com/...
@schillingc Chris Schilling on x
If he takes away the tick from those who've paid $8 I will laugh until Christmas https://twitter.com/...
@mikesington Mike Sington on x
The chaos continues. Twitter pulls the plug on Twitter Blue, subscriptions and paid-for verification blue checkmark no longer available.
@digiphile Alex Howard on x
It appears @twitter has pulled @TwitterBlue from iOS in the USA; it's not in my app. @Verge reports the service is unavailable: https://www.theverge.com/... No official confirmation from Twitter on its blog — but then Musk reportedly fired all comms staff. Never should have launc…
@morrison @morrison on x
LOL and now Twitter Blue is gone. Nothing like skipping all testing, market research, ignoring your veteran team members, no A/B testing, and just going live with all new random thoughts you have to the entire population of the largest social media platform.
@zhugeex Daniel Ahmad on x
Well you have to admit that no one would have thought Twitter Blue would be abused the way it was We were all completely shocked https://twitter.com/...
@evan_greer @evan_greer on x
Literally like an hour ago you could still sign up for Twitter Blue and now it's gone. Great feature while it lasted though it was the Chiquita tweets that did it for me https://twitter.com/...
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@BiasedGirl Far too many corrupt legacy Blue “verification” checkmarks exist, so no choice but to remove legacy Blue in coming months
@petefrasermusic Pete Fraser on x
First account is the verified official one. Second is a $8 fake thanks to the Musk subscription. Easy to tell when you look at the follower count, very, very hard to tell when shared into your feed. Impossible actually without clicking through. HT @meemalee for spotting. https://…
@drewharwell Drew Harwell on x
Spokesperson for pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly says they're in communication with Twitter to address the fake-but-verified Eli Lilly tweet that has been up for three hours and has 1,500 retweets and 10,000 likes https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@misterratt Matt Ratt on x
Twitter Blue is going about as well as everyone predicted, and it's an amazing spectacle to watch. Like a train crash filled with glitter. https://twitter.com/...
@mcuban Mark Cuban on x
@elonmusk, from one entrepreneur to another, for when you have your customer service hat on. I just spent too much time muting all the newly purchased checkmark accts in an attempt to make my verified mentions useful again. Hope this helps.
@jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x
That sound? Advertisers quietly seeing themselves out the door.... https://twitter.com/...
@andr6wmale Andrew Male on x
https://twitter.com/...
@jqt_web3vc Jenny Q Ta on x
A billionaire, well respected, and unbiased shared his thoughts — I would suggest the pros & cons of the $8 checkmark should take a few minutes to read it. https://twitter.com/...
@kyleorl Kyle Orland on x
Say what you will about Twitter Blue's paid checkmarks, but it gave me an excuse to put Mario flipping the bird on the front page of Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/...
@kyleorl Kyle Orland on x
The thing that really gets me about this: All Twitter Blue users have a credit card, right? It would be *trivial* for Twitter to force them to use the name on their Credit Card in exchange for being “verified.” Would immediately solve this problem for good https://twitter.com/...
@vxunderground @vxunderground on x
The new check mark system has resulted in Threat Actors successfully impersonating Twitter and defrauding users out of money Although the account is now suspended, it rapidly got 35,000+ retweets and 4,990 likes. A simple $8 investment can result in thousands of dollars stolen. h…
@sarahnadav Sarah Nadav on x
Verification is going super well https://twitter.com/...
@cstross Charlie Stross on x
“... Like a train crash filled with glitter.” Yes. Gary Glitter! https://twitter.com/...
@enichan @enichan on x
Oh my god shut up shut UP SHUT THE FUCK UP YOURE JUST SAYING RANDOM SHIT! “Twitter will be the go to source of information”, “Twitter will be a financial marketplace”, “Twitter will be better than signal for secure messaging” you're so full of shit, SHUT THE FUCK UP, JESUS https:…
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
I love this Chrome extension https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@patblanchfield @patblanchfield on x
good morning https://twitter.com/...
@asawinstanley Asa Winstanley on x
Apparently this is what @elonmusk meant by “less scams and bots” 🧐 In to be fair this is pretty funny though. https://twitter.com/...
@twitchparody @twitchparody on x
📢 We've heard you! After a LOT of feedback from Ambassadors and Partners the sub split will be changing from December: 👉 Ambassadors 80/20 👉 Partners 70/30 👉 Affiliates 60/40 👉 Non Affiliates 50/50 📚 https://link.twitch.tv/...
@stanzipotenza @stanzipotenza on x
I changed my stance on paid verification, I like it now https://twitter.com/...
@dangeredwolf Dangered Wolf on x
Twitter recommending following fake accounts because they bought Twitter Blue https://twitter.com/...
@alexvtunzelmann Alex von Tunzelmann on x
Oh dear https://twitter.com/...
@joonlee Joon Lee on x
Following sports transactions and news could become a total mess with the new verification system Already fake LeBron and Aroldis Chapman tweets going around https://twitter.com/...
@davidmackau David Mack on x
you guys, you cannot make this up but twitter has REVERSED COURSE on elon reversing course on the “official ticks.” they're back!!! https://www.theverge.com/...
@mattbinder Matt Binder on x
lmao Twitter built the “this mf paid for twitter” meme right into its paid Twitter Blue subscription if you click a blue checkmark on a user's profile, it'll show you if they were given one as an actual notable user or it'll show you that this mf paid for twitter https://twitter.…

Chronicles