With Elon Musk taking over Twitter, things are going pretty fast on the platform. In a recent announcement, Musk said that Twitter users could get their accounts verified for just $8 as part of their subscription charges. However, with the midterm elections approaching, the platform has decided to put the verification process on hold for the time being.
Even though the testing has already started, Twitter understands the potential social media platforms hold, which is why they want to keep themselves from being caught up in the wildfire.
The midterm elections for the United States are going on November 8. According to the New York Times, Twitter paused its subscription services as it believes people might use it to spread false information by impersonating politicians or government officials. They can even make fake verified accounts of news agencies and use the platform to spread misinformation about incorrect outcomes that might demotivate the voters.
According to Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a governmental agency that will be overseeing the security during the midterms, they have not received any threats aimed at hindering the elections; however, they understand the risks of fake information being spread through malicious campaigns that are being run from international soil.
The ex-director of CISA, Chris Krebs, also believes that the latest Twitter verification is risky for the election's outcome. Users were creating fake profiles of the owner himself after verification became so easy; although those accounts were removed from the platform, it pointed out major flaws in the system.
$8 a month can get you a blue check as a sign of a verified account, and the number of ads shown will also be reduced. Musk believes that this feature can help the application generate a lot of revenue. Musk claims that with this initiative, they can leave YouTube behind in terms of the revenue offered to YouTube creators.
Lately, Twitter has had to say goodbye to almost half of its employees as Musk laid them off, calling it a step towards cost-cutting.
Read next: Apple will also benefit from Twitter’s latest verification service
Even though the testing has already started, Twitter understands the potential social media platforms hold, which is why they want to keep themselves from being caught up in the wildfire.
The midterm elections for the United States are going on November 8. According to the New York Times, Twitter paused its subscription services as it believes people might use it to spread false information by impersonating politicians or government officials. They can even make fake verified accounts of news agencies and use the platform to spread misinformation about incorrect outcomes that might demotivate the voters.
According to Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a governmental agency that will be overseeing the security during the midterms, they have not received any threats aimed at hindering the elections; however, they understand the risks of fake information being spread through malicious campaigns that are being run from international soil.
The ex-director of CISA, Chris Krebs, also believes that the latest Twitter verification is risky for the election's outcome. Users were creating fake profiles of the owner himself after verification became so easy; although those accounts were removed from the platform, it pointed out major flaws in the system.
$8 a month can get you a blue check as a sign of a verified account, and the number of ads shown will also be reduced. Musk believes that this feature can help the application generate a lot of revenue. Musk claims that with this initiative, they can leave YouTube behind in terms of the revenue offered to YouTube creators.
Lately, Twitter has had to say goodbye to almost half of its employees as Musk laid them off, calling it a step towards cost-cutting.
Read next: Apple will also benefit from Twitter’s latest verification service
