Elon Musk officially launched the pay-for-verification system after taking over as the new boss of Twitter, and some users are already misusing it. Those spreading fake news are using the feature to impersonate someone else for $8 a month and see their content algorithmically boosted without any vetting. This has affected many people, such as American professional basketball player LeBron James. A fake account is gaining traction that shows James demanding a trade from the Lakers. Then there is the fake Nintendo of America account (with a blue tick) that shows an image of the popular Mario character showing the middle finger.
The new Twitter Blue subscription comes with a blue tick nearly identical to those assigned to celebrities. If a user is scrolling through the feed, the new tick looks exactly the same. The difference emerges when users click on the badge, they will get to know if it’s given to a notable person or paid for but a Twitter Blue subscriber.
