Twitter adds 'official' mark to some big verified accounts

Twitter has begun adding gray official labels to some highprofile accounts to indicate that they are authentic the latest twist in new owner Elon Musks chaotic overhaul of the platforms verification systemMedia sites like The Associated Press The New York Times The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal received an official designation Wednesday as did companies like Nike Apple and CocaColaThe sites current system of using what are known as blue checks confirming an accounts authenticity will soon go away for those who dont pay a monthly feeThe checkmarks will be available at a yettobeannounced date for anyone willing to pay a 799amonth subscription which will also include some bonus features such as fewer ads and the ability to have tweets given greater visibility than those coming from nonsubscribersThe platforms current verification system has been in place since 2009 and was created to ensure highprofile and publicfacing accounts are who they say they areExperts have expressed concern that making the checkmark available to anyone for a fee could lead to impersonations and the spreading of misinformation and scams The gray label a colour that tends to blend into the background whether you use light or dark mode to scroll Twitter is an apparent compromiseBut it might lead to more confusion as Twitter users accustomed to the blue check as a mark of authenticity will now have to look for the less obvious official designationAlso read PM Modi stops convoy to make way for ambulance in HimachalEsther Crawford a Twitter employee who has been working on the verification overhaul said Tuesday on Twitter that the official label will be added to select accounts when the new system launchesNot all previously verified accounts will get the Official label and the label is not available for purchase said Crawford who recently was the subject of a viral photo showing her sleeping on the floor of a Twitter office while working to meet Musks deadlinesCrawford said those receiving the label include government accounts commercial companies business partners major media outlets publishers and some public figuresThere are about 423000 verified accounts under the outgoing system Many of those belong to celebrities businesses and politicians as well as media outletsBut a large chunk of verified accounts belong to individual journalists some with tiny followings at local newspapers and news sites around the world The idea was to verify reporters so their identities couldnt be used to push false information on TwitterMusk had previously floated designating official accounts in a way other than the blue checkThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever