The iconic verification ticks of Twitter that used to indicate the level of authenticity of a handle have now been reduced to a sign that the account actively subscribes to the Twitter Blue premium subscription plan. It includes blue tick verification along with features like fewer ads, the ability to post long videos and to get priority ranking for quality content. The Elon-Musk-owned platform – on its mission to profitability – has offered the premium service membership for Rs 900 per month or Rs 9400 per month.
Accounts of top Indian brands including HDFC Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Axis Bank, TVS, Swiggy, and PhonePe remained without a verification tag as of the time of press. Several government departments too lost the verification on Friday.
A part of the ambiguity in verification remains even after the rollout of the new program. The paid verification may complete only after Twitter confirms that the eligibility criteria are met – the account is active for the past 30 days, has confirmed a phone number verification, and “is not deceptive.” It should not be misleading; there should have been no recent changes to the profile photo, display name, or username and no signs of manipulation and spamming activities.
Several celebrities, influencers and other formerly-verified users expressed concerns over the possibility of impersonation and misuse of their identity by the dummy accounts. In the past, the Indian Twitterverse has witnessed several coordinated attacks from creators of fake accounts claiming to be the official handles of celebrities, and then using these handles to either spread misinformation or advance specific ideologies.
“By monetising the Blue-Tick feature and making anyone willing to pay the subscription charges eligible to use the badge, the entire sanctity of the Blue-Tick as an indicator of a verified account has been upended, and to some extent genuine celebrity and brand Twitter profiles have been somewhat devalued. The removal of the Blue-Tick is unlikely to affect the established followers of the celebrities due to continuity but could become an impediment in acquiring new followers,” said Samit Sinha, Founder and Managing Partner, of Alchemist Brand Consulting.
Faisal Haq, the Chief Operating Officer of advertising firm The Crayons Network said initially there was some panic at both their client end and the agency side itself when the verification marks disappeared on Friday.
He added that “Anyone can make an account on Twitter. This means fans and fake accounts can make accounts that appear to be like authentic brand accounts, just by changing a single letter or adding a special character.”
Santosh Desai, the managing director and chief executive officer of Futurebrands India said it will be imperative for brands to spend on the verification checkmarks as quickly as possible.
“The organisations can afford to pay for it. From an organisation’s perspective, it is a very minor expense for something as important as a Twitter handle. This will not be a difficult issue to solve but it is definitely a matter of urgency for brands.”