The Twitter social networking platform is trying again to launch its distinctive “blue tick” service, a month after the failure of a previous attempt, in the first of the new decisions issued by the company after its acquisition by Elon Musk.
Twitter said that it will allow users to purchase subscriptions to the “Blue Twitter” service to obtain a blue checkmark (authentication) and access to special features, starting today, Monday.
Twitter has previously awarded the blue flag to companies, celebrities, government agencies and journalists who have been verified by the platform.
And after Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion last October, he launched a service that gives blue-mark verification to anyone willing to pay $8 a month.
But it was flooded with fraudulent accounts, including those impersonating Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX, so Twitter suspended the service days after its launch.
The relaunched service will cost $8 per month for web users and $11 per month for iPhone users.
Twitter says that subscribers will see fewer ads, and will be able to post longer videos and make their tweets more visible through the new service, “Blue Twitter”.