Elon Musk Putting Major Features Behind Twitter Blue Paywall

Twitter owner Elon Musk has announced even more changes that are coming to Twitter’s verification system. On Monday, a tweet from Musk revealed that, beginning on April 15th, multiple features of the website will become exclusive to paid Twitter Blue subscribers. On that date, Twitter’s For You tab will only show tweets from verified Twitter Blue users, and only those users will be allowed to vote in the site’s polls. According to Musk, these tactics will be made to combat “advanced AI bot swarms taking over.” This comes after Musk recently announced that legacy verified accounts — which are held by celebrities, public figures, or brands — will either need to pay for Twitter Blue beginning in April or lose their verification status altogether. 

“Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations,” Musk’s tweet reads. “The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle. Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.”

Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations.

The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.

Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 27, 2023

Why did Twitter’s Verification change?

Being Verified on Twitter has gone through multiple evolutions in the span of the past few months, beginning with Musk floating the idea of charging upwards of $20 a month for a Twitter Blue subscription. The cost was then changed to $8-11 a month — something that quickly backfired, as many users purchased Verified accounts to impersonate real figures or brands. In an attempt to combat this, Musk has threatened to suspend any fake Verified accounts, rolled out (and then removed) a second “Official” checkmark, and then proclaim that fake accounts need to include “Parody” in their display name and bio. Twitter then unveiled a color-coded verification system to differentiate brands from individual accounts.

“On April 1st, we will begin winding down our legacy verified program and removing legacy verified checkmarks. To keep your blue checkmark on Twitter, individuals can sign up for Twitter Blue…” Twitter stated in an announcement last week.

What do you think of Elon Musk’s latest change to Twitter? How do you feel about polls and the For You feed only being eligible for Twitter Blue users? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!