SAN FRANCISCO: Twit­t­er boss Elon Musk has postponed the relaunch of paid verification on the platform, extending a suspension he previously said would end this month.

Adding a verification option for subscribers of Twitter Blue, open to all users for eight dollars a month, has been a major focus for Musk since he bought the platform in late October.

“Holding off relaunch of Blue Verified until there is high confidence of stopping impersonation,” Musk twe­eted. “Will probably use different color check for organisations than individuals.”

Musk did not give a date for the relaunch, which was previously scheduled for November 29.

Early this month, Musk said the relaunch of Twitter’s paid subscription service would include account authentication, arguing the plan would upend the platform’s “current lords & peasants system” and create a new revenue stream for the company.

A first attempt at launching the feature on iPhone saw an embarrassing spate of fake accounts that scared advertisers. Verified accounts with millions of followers were banned after their user name was changed to “Elon Musk”.

Twitter suspended paid verification and reinstated the gray “official” badge on accounts belonging to public figures and major organisations.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2022