Twitter paused its recently announced $8 blue check subscription service on Friday as fake accounts mushroomed, and new owner Elon Musk brought back the ¡°official¡± badge to some users of the social media platform.
The coveted blue check mark was previously reserved for verified accounts of politicians, famous personalities, journalists and other public figures. But a subscription option, open to anyone prepared to pay, was rolled out earlier this week to help Twitter grow revenue as Musk fights to retain advertisers.
The flip-flop is part of a chaotic two weeks at Twitter since Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition. Musk has fired nearly half of Twitter¡¯s workforce, removed its board and senior executives, and raised the prospect of Twitter¡¯s bankruptcy. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday it was watching Twitter with ¡°deep concern.¡±
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