Twitter announced Saturday that it will relaunch its Twitter Blue program on Monday, one month after a botched rollout caused new owner Elon Musk to pull the paid subscription service days after its debut on the platform.
Twitter initially launched the feature, which gives coveted blue check marks to any account willing to pay $8 per month, in November, but the lack of any vetting process caused the site to become inundated with imposter accounts. In addition to getting the verified status, Twitter Blue users will be able to edit tweets and upload 1080p videos.
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The revamped program, which includes identity-confirming tools to prevent those impersonations, also comes with a different price tag depending on where you pay. The service still costs $8 per month if purchased on the web but is $11 if bought through Apple’s iOS platform.
“Please note that Twitter will do many dumb things in coming months,” Musk tweeted after pulling the service last month. “We will keep what works & change what doesn’t.”
The billionaire Tesla founder added in a Twitter Spaces discussion with advertisers that the feature was pulled because it created a “two-tiered” system based on new labels.
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Musk took over Twitter in late October while describing himself as a “free speech absolutist” who would rebuild the company in his vision. That vision has thus far included laying off 50% of Twitter’s workforce and demanding that remaining employees commit to a “hardcore” version of the company, as well as reversing the ban on former President Donald Trump’s account. He has also reportedly considered placing the site behind a paywall.
Most recently, he began releasing the Twitter Files, a series of document drops revealing how the site handled content moderation during the 2020 election, specifically with stories relating to Hunter Biden’s laptop.
