The new chief executive of Twitter, Elon Musk, has said verified users of the micro-blogging app will, going forward, pay a monthly fee of $8.
He made the announcement in a series of tweets on Tuesday.
Must who is also the founder of Tesla Inc., said the new pricing system would be adjusted by country “proportionate to purchasing power parity”.
Prior to the announcement, getting a blue tick on Twitter was free. The badge lets people know that an account of public interest is authentic.
To qualify, accounts must be “notable, authentic and active.”
“Twitter’s current lords and peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” Musk tweeted.
In the Twitter thread, Musk said subscribers to the new ‘blue’ service would also get priority in replies, mentions and search, which he said was “essential to defeat” spam accounts.
He added that users will also see half as many adverts and will be able to post long video and audio clips.
“This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators,” Musk added.
An earlier report had claimed that Twitter was planning to charge $19.99 for verification.
