Twitter will “tentatively” roll out its verification services next Friday with different coloured checkmarks for individuals, governments and companies, CEO Elon Musk said on Friday.

“Sorry for the delay, we’re tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week. Gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates. Painful, but necessary,” he tweeted in response to another tweet by a user.

Sorry for the delay, we’re tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week.

Gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates.Painful, but necessary.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022

Earlier this week, Twitter’s new owner Musk tweeted the company was holding off the launch of a new system of issuing verified badges to users.

In the days following Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, the billionaire entrepreneur announced that the Blue Tick verification badge, which authenticates a user or organisation on Twitter, will be available for a monthly fee of $8.

His initial plan was delayed amid concerns that users could create fake accounts, posing as political leaders, lawmakers, news outlets and organisations and purchase the verified badge, thereby adding to the spread of misinformation.

Also Read: As Twitter roils under Elon Musk, India’s Koo quietly plans a coup

Before Musk took control of Twitter on October 27, the blue tick was given to celebrities, government heads, and other celebrities after their accounts were verified by the site's platform.

The $8 subscription fee announced on November 6 was a measure to retain advertisers and generate revenues. The move, however, led to a surge in imposter accounts, forcing Twitter to temporarily halt the service.

With the new release, changing someone's verified name will cause the loss of the blue check "until the name is confirmed by Twitter to meet terms of service", Musk has said.

Also Read: Where have all the women gone from Elon Musk's Twitter? 'Before & after' office photos shock internet

First Published:Nov 25, 2022 2:41 PM IST