Reported $20 monthly charge for Twitter verification sparks pushback

Elon Musk is reportedly planning big changes to Twitter, and one of his first moves has already sparked outrage among some users.

On Monday, tech outlet The Verge reported that Musk, who officially took over Twitter on Friday, plans to charge users $20 a month to be verified on the platform.

Essentially, Twitter plans to roll out a more expensive version of its already existing paid plan, Twitter Blue, which currently costs $4.99 a month in the U.S.  

Users who already have a blue checkmark will have 90 days to subscribe to a Twitter Blue plan or risk losing their verified status.

Several high-profile users, including author Stephen King, have expressed anger over the change.

“$20 a month to keep my blue check? F— that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron,” King tweeted.

Actress Lynda Carter also mocked the move.

Twitter with verification vs. Twitter when I refuse to pay $20 a month for it pic.twitter.com/knP5vEGg2v

— Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) October 31, 2022

New York Magazine’s Kara Swisher called the move a “hard no” and said she would “not pay a dime” for verification.

Hard no. I pay half as much for @netflix, I get @CobraKaiSeries, @TheCrownNetflix, Call My Agent and more for free and don’t have to endure stupidly obvious and painfully wit-free jokes from @reedhastings: https://t.co/qW60IuNXmZ

— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) October 31, 2022

Nikole Hannah-Jones, a New York Times Magazine reporter and founder of The 1619 Project, also said “no thanks” to the paid verification.

I never sought verification nor cared about it. It just happened one day. So, that's a no thanks for me. https://t.co/D0yvHPMXbh

— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) October 31, 2022

While many users expressed anger over the cost, others were concerned that the move would exacerbate misinformation on the platform.

The point of verification was to aid the platform, not the users? To show that people can trust accounts on Twitter represent those people.

Just because some think it’s a status marker doesn’t mean it is monetizable. https://t.co/an3DNXsMB2

— Philip Bump (@pbump) October 30, 2022

Musk’s takeover has spurred worries over his attitudes toward free speech. Musk, a self-described “free-speech absolutist,” has said he would bring back Twitter users who have been previously banned, including former President Trump.  

Musk assured Twitter advertisers in a note last week that he would not allow the platform to turn into a “free-for-all hellscape.”

But on Musk’s first day as “chief twit,” the platform saw a spike in hate language, and a number of anonymous accounts have applauded his newfound control of the site.  

Musk has since announced that Twitter will form a “content moderation council” featuring “widely diverse viewpoints.”  

Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints.

No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022