After completing the Twitter deal, Elon Musk started drastically changing the company and platform. One of those controversial changes was charging Blue subscribers $8 per month for a verification badge. While the new verification plan is not yet widely available, Will Seagar and Walter Lim have developed the “Eight Dollars” extension to help users separate verified accounts from Blue subscribers.
The Eight Dollars extension can tell if a Twitter account is organically verified or not
The developers have also added customization options to the extension to allow users to adjust desired names for the verified and Blue labels. You can also hide the Twitter Blue checkmark. A wide release for major web browsers makes the Eight Dollars extension available for all users, and they can track the account’s verification status. But Twitter’s new Blue verification procedure has put the company in hot water, and the reason is obvious. Twitter’s new verification plan is now available only to limited countries and iOS users. However, it will certainly expand to more countries and platforms in the coming months. But the plan has become quite controversial from the beginning, mostly because it can make fake accounts look legitimate with a verified badge. Just recently, a person could fake the account of a pharma company to spread the free insulin rumor and cause the company’s stock to crash. In another case, a user created a fake Nintendo Twitter account and started to spread false information. Many companies are now worried about fake accounts that easily pay $8 for a verified badge and spread misinformation on behalf of the company. This can severely damage a company’s reputation and even affect the stock market. Twitter needs to determine some strict procedures and protocols for Blue subscribers to prevent them from spreading misinformation and impersonating well-known companies.
