Twitter rolls out new $8 subscriptions, promises half the ads

Twitter has started giving users who sign up for $8 a month a verified check mark, just days after new owner Elon Musk floated the idea of a new verification system.

“Power to the people,” Twitter said in the version notes for its latest update that was released Saturday. “Your account will get a blue checkmark, just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow.”

Alongside the new verification system, Twitter is also promising to halve the number of ads subscribers see. Also coming “soon” are the ability to post longer videos and get priority ranking in replies, mentions and searches, the company said.

Twitter Blue is currently available only for users in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

The latest update demonstrates how quickly Musk is moving to transform the social media platform that he purchased for $44bn. In the week since he formally took control of the site, the billionaire has fired nearly half its staff along with most of its top managers. He’s touted the Twitter Blue subscription plan as a way to contend with plummeting ad revenues as well as to weed out bots.

Twitter is pushing ahead with its new verification system at a crucial time, with the US due to hold elections on Tuesday. The gutting of key teams, including curation and legal policy, has already prompted current and former employees to question whether the site will have the resources to keep crucial systems like content moderation running effectively heading into the midterms.

With the new Twitter Blue subscription plan, anyone would be able to pay $8 to have their account look more legitimate, adding a risk they would impersonate candidates or government entities.