Bottom Line: Elon Muss announced the latest version of Twitter’s verification process earlier this morning. The new system will roll out next Friday, with gold, gray and blue verification checks depending upon the type of account and user being verified. Musk stated that all accounts will be manually verified before the check can be activated.
The Twitter verification check is a complex dance that becomes harder to follow. It was there, then it was gone. It was then back for a fee, but only for a short time. It then appeared as a grey checkmark, but it was gone before you could realize it. It reappeared once more. Are you still lost? You are too. Don’t worry, clarification may be on the way. Or not.
In an early morning tweet, Elon Musk announced the social media platform’s revamped verification process could be rolled out as early as next Friday. It would be able to distinguish between different types of users by using more colors.
Sorry for the delay, we’re tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week.
Check activates with gold check for companies, grey for government, and blue for individuals (celebrity and not). All verified accounts will be manually authenticated.
It’s painful, but it’s necessary.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022
The use of colored verification checks aren’t a new idea. Musk alluded to their use in a previous tweet where he noted Twitter Blue would be shelved until he had more confidence in the platform’s ability to stop impersonation accounts. Fake accounts became the talk of the town in November when several verified accounts were used by Musk to mock his attempts to clean up the platform and redeploy the verification system.
This morning’s tweet provides the first details about the new, color-coded verification systems. Musk followed with another tweet less than an hour later, further explaining the blue check’s role and the potential ability to include verified organizational affiliations. Musk promised a more detailed explanation next week, according to the follow-up tweet.
Musk was taken over, changed and plans to add verification fees were met with little support from the beginning.
The platform has seen a steady stream of users exit for other platforms that offer more features and innovation, such as Discord or Mastodon. Others have left the platform because they disagree with Musk’s practices or his direction for the social media giant. There’s no w