Twitter to offer 'official' label for select verified accounts

In the pre-Elon Musk era of Twitter, the platform offered blue check marks to politicians, celebrities, media personnel and prominent personalities after verifying those accounts. However, that might not be the case for the new Twitter Blue users. You will get the coveted blue checkmark but it won’t mean it is an official account or that it is verified.

For that, Twitter is introducing a new “Official” label. This new label will be the main distinguishing factor, over and above the blue checkmark or blue tick.

Twitter’s early-stage products executive Esther Crawford has put out multiple tweets explaining the new label and how it will be different from what you get with a blue tick. She also listed the account types that will be eligible to get the ‘official’ label.

In a tweet, Crawford said, “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.”

How is an ‘Official’ label different from a blue tick badge

Crawford confirmed that not all the previously verified accounts would get the official label. In fact, the label is something you won’t have to pay for, the blue checkmark will, however, require a monthly payment. She said that the official label will be verified and issued to accounts like government organisations, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers, and some public figures. She did not specify who these public figures would be.

She said in a tweet, “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.”

Why Blue Checkmark doesn’t mean you’re verified on Twitter

Earlier, Twitter only offered a blue checkmark to those people who got their accounts verified. Since it was not a paid feature, any celebrity, media personality, company account, or journalist could apply for it.

However, the new Twitter Blue won’t need any kind of verification. It will be an opt-in paid subscription. It will give you access to a host of additional features but not verification.

Crawford said, “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.”

While the distinctions have been made clear, we are still uncertain about how most other prominent users will get verified on Twitter. This also increases the chances of public figures getting impersonated. Twitter has assured that it will continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types.