After months of announcements, promises and threats, the verification badges -the famous blue pimp, pigeon or check marks- finally took on a new meaning on Twitter. From now on, the badge, which has been a status symbol in this and other social networks, will no longer be a badge that recognizes organizations, media, celebrities or politicians, but a privilege exclusive to those who are subscribers of Twitter Blue, the paid version of the platform. The measure introduces a new era in the sense of verification on social networks and could completely change the way people interact on them. 

Subscription model verification was one of Elon Musk's first proposals when he bought Twitter. At first, Musk criticized the existing structure in terms of class struggle: he said it was a system of "landlords and serfs". In a very short time, Musk launched the Twitter Blue project, but very soon the experiment ended in an epidemic of impersonation and had to be suspended a few days after its launch.

Until now, accounts verified under the old rules and those of the Twitter Blue program had coexisted on the platform. However, on April 20, the company removed all verification badges without a subscription. As an alternative, Twitter has implemented gray badges that apply to government accounts. This measure, however, does not apply to many important accounts: while the president of a country can have it, it is not suitable for former presidents, congressmen or mayors of large cities.

A couple of days after this measure, Twitter reinstated the badge for some media and public figures. Apparently, the accounts that returned to wear the badge are those with more than one million followers. According to an explanatory message, which can be viewed by clicking on the blue check mark, these accounts are subscribed to Twitter Blue, although many have stated that they have not done so. This action is problematic because it could be considered as misleading advertising by consumer protection authorities, making users of the platform think that certain public figures have paid for a service, when in fact they have not.

This guarantee is not only in favor of users, but corresponds to the essence of the business of social networks: if people can verify the veracity of their interlocutors, the platform can be built as a reliable forum for discussion and communication. Conversely, if users cannot verify that they are interacting with authentic accounts, this trust will be eroded and credibility will be lost. This loss of trust can quickly lead to another loss of trust: that of advertisers.

Until now, accounts verified under the old rules and those of the Twitter Blue program had coexisted on the platform. However, on April 20, the company removed all verification badges without a subscription. As an alternative, Twitter has implemented gray badges that apply to government accounts. However, this measure does not cover many important accounts. While the president of a country can have it, it is not suitable for former presidents, congressmen or mayors of large cities. 

Twitter is both a space in which journalists participate, tweeting scoops before they appear in the media, and the home of parody accounts. The verification badge allowed those two types of voices to be distinguished. The full implementation of Twitter Blue can put trolls and local government agencies on the same level of visibility and trust, achievable for eight dollars a month. 

The program is also an experiment to obtain new sources of revenue to help alleviate the economic problems the company has been facing since before Musk's purchase. However, its performance is far from solving the crisis, as in three months it has only managed to raise $11 million, a tiny fraction of the more than $5 billion it earned in 2021.

However, it is possible that this experiment will eventually tempt other companies to migrate to other digital spaces. Recently, for example, a change in Instagram's code gave rise to speculation about a similar payment system for verification on this social network of Meta. 

At the moment, there have already been reported episodes of impersonation on Twitter in which an account posing as Hillary Clinton announced a supposed presidential candidacy for next year, or in which a supposed Pope Francis claimed that there are at least three genders. 

These episodes are probably the first symptoms of a problem that risks becoming more acute. The effects that this disruption in the security and trust system may have on the advertiser market, online activity and disinformation are yet to be seen, but new challenges for the defense of online democracy are now emerging.

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Note: This blog was updated on April 24 to add information about resetting the verification badges of several accounts, despite not being subscribed to Twitter Blue.