A monthly subscription called Twitter Blue gives you exclusive access to app customizations, thus giving you more extensive control over your tweets. Blue sounds like a great addition to the rainbow of Twitter—go blue! Unfortunately, Twitter Blue also seems to have opened the gateway for identity fraud.
Aside from being able to group bookmarks, undo tweets, and open reading mode, Twitter Blue is also a service that allows users to receive the highly coveted verification mark for the price of only $7.99. However, that eliminates the purpose of verification itself—to verify identity.
It is also important to note that the verification process before blue had been strict and essential in identifying the authenticity of an account. Accounts had to meet a strict standard of active, notable, and authentic before allowed verification. All of which are vital in proving the legitimacy of the user, especially since our internet-addled minds have been trained to associate the little blue check with the realness of an account.
In light of the paid verification, Twitter had become a breeding ground for identity theft. Users could now change their account name to someone else’s, pay for verification, and effectively steal said individual’s identification. What’s stopping me from changing my Twitter handle to “Taylor-Swift_Official”, slipping $7.99 into Twitter’s pockets, tweeting “I’m quitting music”, and
thus singlehandedly unfurling the very foundation of modern society? I’ll tell you what’s stopping me: absolutely nothing. Go Blue! Go identity fraud!
Expectedly, Twitter had been bombarded by an influx of impersonators. Fake accounts of notable characters such as Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and LeBron James have all been created. Consequently, Twitter pulled Twitter Blue and on December 12, Monday, had it relaunched with new revisions.
Now, verified individuals would receive a blue tick mark, businesses receive a gold tick, and government organizations would receive a gray tick. Additionally, Twitter’s help website reads: “Only accounts actively subscribed to Twitter Blue are eligible to receive the blue
checkmark.” But to their credit, they finally have an actual criteria in place for receiving the verification; specifically, activeness, completeness, security, and non-deception.
However, Twitter users still aren’t content. “This is almost as exciting as when the airlines started charging to check luggage!”, writes user @CedarPollen.
“Can you add a function that lets me autoblock everyone that buys this? The absolutely last thing I want is to see more of their tweets”, comments @steinkobbe.
Twitter’s security has been compromised, but it’s great to see the humor is still intact.
Twitter Blue: $7.99 for everything you’ll ever need—control over tweets, app customization, expanded app perks, and the ability to commit a punishable felony. As the saying goes, everything has a price. Is your identity worth $7.99?
Written by Vivienne Naomi Tai Chan
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