The story of TwitterB次元官网网址檚 blue checkmarks B次元官网网址� a simple verification system thatB次元官网网址檚 come to be viewed as an elite status symbol B次元官网网址� began with some high-profile impersonations, just as the site began taking off in 2008 and B次元官网网址�09.

Celebrities who saw their likeness spoofed included Kanye West, now Ye, the basketball star and the actor , who was also impersonated on a wildly popular website called B次元官网网址� MySpace.

Then, in June 2009, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa , claiming that a fake account, using his name to make light of drunken driving and two Cardinals pitchers who died, damaged his reputation and caused emotional distress.

LaRussa eventually . But in June of that year, TwitterB次元官网网址檚 then-CEO Biz Stone to sort out authentic accounts from impostors. The benefit would be to the holders of the accounts, but also to everyone else on Twitter. They could be sure, if they saw the blue check next to a name, that what they were reading was authentic.

Fast-forward to 2022. TwitterB次元官网网址檚 , billionaire Elon Musk, wants to turn this verification system into a revenue source for the company he paid $44 billion to purchase. ItB次元官网网址檚 a 180-degree turn from the stance he took , when he said he wanted to B次元官网网址渧erify all humansB次元官网网址� on Twitter.

After floating the idea of charging users $20 a month for the B次元官网网址渂lue checkB次元官网网址� and some extra features, he appeared to quickly scale it back in a Twitter exchange with author Stephen King, who posted B次元官网网址淚f that gets instituted, IB次元官网网址檓 gone like Enron.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?B次元官网网址� Musk replied.

Whatever the price, the idea of a paid verification system is raising some complex questions and concerns B次元官网网址� beyond the customary cheers and jeers that have accompanied MuskB次元官网网址檚 every move since he took ownership of the social media company last week.

B次元官网网址淭apping into Twitter users to make more money may be the right strategy, but verification isnB次元官网网址檛 the right feature to charge for,B次元官网网址� said Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg. B次元官网网址淰erification is intended to ensure the integrity of accounts and conversations on the platform, rather than a premium feature meant to elevate the experience. There is a growing appetite among some social users to pay for features that add value to their experiences.B次元官网网址�

Instead of charging for authentication, though, Enberg said Musk should be looking at adding features to Twitter that get people to use it more and help them grow their follower base and find a way to make money from those.

B次元官网网址淭urning users into customers isnB次元官网网址檛 an easy sell, and the value exchange has to be right in order for it to pay off,B次元官网网址� she said.

Twitter already has a subscription plan, Twitter Blue, that for $5 a month lets users access extra features, such as the ability to undo a tweet and read ad-free articles. MuskB次元官网网址檚 plan, as it appears from his tweets, seems to be expanding it to charge more money for more features B次元官网网址� including the verification badge B次元官网网址� and spread it to more users.

B次元官网网址淥f roughly 300,000 verified accounts on Twitter we would estimate only about 25% would go down this path ultimately and pay the $8 per month fee,B次元官网网址� Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said.

That would mean only $7.2 million a year in extra revenue for Twitter B次元官网网址� not enough to move the dial for a company whose last was $1.18 billion.

Ives expects Musk to first go after users who already have the check to charge them to keep it, then likely introduce other tiered pricing plans for other accounts.

B次元官网网址淭he problem is with many athletes and celebrities willing to lose their coveted blue check and refusing to pay the monthly fee it would be an ominous black eye moment for Musk on his first strategic move with Twitter,B次元官网网址� he said.

While MuskB次元官网网址檚 exact plans are not clear, experts are raising concerns about the consequences of having a paid verification system that leaves anyone unwilling to pay vulnerable to impersonation B次元官网网址� and anyone who does pay the ability to have their Twitter presence boosted by the platformB次元官网网址檚 algorithms.

While many verified users on Twitter are famous, there are also community activists, journalists at small newspapers and outlets inside and outside of the U.S. B次元官网网址� and regular people who simply find themselves in the news. For this subset, $8 a month may not be worth it, no matter how many memes about the cost of a cup of coffee.

The idea behind verification B次元官网网址� which other social networks later copied B次元官网网址� was to ensure that public figures, politicians and businesses were who they say they are. It began small at first, as things do when tech companies test out new features and functions.

B次元官网网址淭he experiment will begin with public officials, public agencies, famous artists, athletes, and other well known individuals at risk of impersonation,B次元官网网址� Stone wrote in 2009. He suggested that those who canB次元官网网址檛 be immediately verified put their official website in their Twitter bio to show that they are who they say they are.

Business accounts B次元官网网址� such as brand pages for Coca-Cola or McDonaldB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址� were not included in the initial verification system, nor were rank-and-file journalists. Those were added later, as misinformation from fake sites and accounts became a bigger problem on social media.

While the B次元官网网址渂lue checkB次元官网网址� (which is actually a white checkmark in a blue frame, or black checkmark in a white frame if you are using Twitter in dark mode) has come to be viewed in some circles as an elite status symbol for the rich and famous, its purpose has always been to ensure that the people and accounts tweeting are who they say they are. As such, it benefited Twitter as much B次元官网网址� if not more B次元官网网址� as it benefitted the accounts that were verified, by clamping down on impersonations.

Kelly McBride, an expert on journalism ethics for the Poynter Institute think tank, said she suspected the blue check would become less valuable if people know that it could be bought. Currently, it signifies a person with a particular position or public stature whose identity has been verified.

B次元官网网址淭witter may end up being a similar story,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚t may become less valuable to journalists. And that wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be a bad thing.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擝arbara Ortutay, The Associated Press