 takeover last week, rumours began circulating that he now intends to start charging verified Twitter users as much as £17.33 ($20) each month to keep their blue tick status. Many verified users have balked at the idea of paying a relatively steep fee for something they've previously enjoyed for free, with a number vowing to quit Twitter altogether if such a policy comes to pass. Others have expressed concerns about the wider implications of such a change, which they believe would increase the risk of imitation, scams, and misinformation. Some fear the change could lead to widespread misinformation ( AFP via Getty Images) Iconic horror novelist Stephen King was among those who came out in strong opposition, tweeting: "$20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I'm gone like Enron." Although some fellow users argued that the author could 'well afford it', King stated that it was the 'principle' for him above all else, and not about the price tag. Despite this clarification, in a bizarre turn of events, Musk could be seen appearing to haggle with King, replying: "We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?" The SpaceX CEO then went on to argue that this measure was 'the only way to defeat the bots & trolls', promising to 'explain the rationale in longer form before this is implemented'. As things currently stand, people are far from convinced. Financial journalist){kind=link}
Many Twitter users are not best pleased by new owner Elon Musk’s intention to ‘revamp’ the blue tick verification process, with reported plans to implement a monthly fee for verified users to keep their blue tick status
Billionaire business magnate Elon Musk has now taken over Twitter, but not everyone is too happy about his controversial plans to shake things up on the social media platform. Following Musk’s £38 billion ($44 billion) takeover last week, rumours began circulating that he now intends to start charging verified Twitter users as much as £17.33 ($20) each month to keep their blue tick status.
Many verified users have balked at the idea of paying a relatively steep fee for something they’ve previously enjoyed for free, with a number vowing to quit Twitter altogether if such a policy comes to pass. Others have expressed concerns about the wider implications of such a change, which they believe would increase the risk of imitation, scams, and misinformation.
Iconic horror novelist Stephen King was among those who came out in strong opposition, tweeting: “$20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron.”
Although some fellow users argued that the author could ‘well afford it’, King stated that it was the ‘principle’ for him above all else, and not about the price tag.