Twitter to add ‘official’ label to high-profile accounts

By ABUBAKAR YUNUSA 

Abuja 

Twitter says it will add a new “official” label to some verified high-profile accounts.

The micro-blogging platform said the label would be located beneath the account name and handle.

Esther Crawford, Twitter’s early-stage products executive, disclosed this in a tweet on Tuesday.

Crawford said that not all previously verified accounts will get the new label.

She said the new label is not available for purchase and will only be offered to “government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers, and some public figures”.

“A lot of folks have asked about how you’ll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the “Official” label to select accounts when we launch,” the tweet reads.

“Not all previously verified accounts will get the “Official” label and the label is not available for purchase. Accounts that will receive it include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures.

“The new Twitter Blue does not include ID verification – it’s an opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features.

“We’ll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types.”

Twitter initially planned to roll out its new system in which anyone can buy themselves a blue checkmark for $8 per month.

The rollout is currently on hold due to the US midterm elections to curb the spread of misinformation.