Under the direction of Elon Musk, Twitter launched "Twitter Blue" subscriptions to block spam bots and fake accounts on the platform.
As Twitter allows users to verify their accounts for a monthly fee, the number of accounts with blue checkmarks - previously associated with high-profile figures - has flooded into the social media platform. The browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Safari aims to restore balance by showing accounts that have paid $8 to subscribe to Twitter Blue.
Under the direction of Elon Musk, Twitter launched "Twitter Blue" subscriptions to block spam bots and fake accounts on the platform. However, when the service initially launched in November 2022, trolls used it as an opportunity to validate impersonation accounts and spread disinformation.
While subsequent “know your customer” requirements stifled account verification of suspicious accounts, a surge in the number of verified accounts on Twitter once again aroused user suspicion. A browser extension called "Eight Dollar" allows users to discover the difference between actual verified accounts and Twitter Blue users.
This extension shows how each account earned its verification badge. For users who have paid for a Twitter Blue subscription, the extension will display the text "Paid" next to a blue checkmark. For the rest, it will just say "Verified".
The screenshot above shows an example of how an account that mimics Elon Musk pays for verification. Therefore, this extension helps in identifying fraudulent accounts.
Additionally, Twitter users support the software extension as it effectively restores transparency to the entire social media platform, as shown in the screenshot of comments above.
The need for such an extension arose after Twitter changed the way it displayed information related to the account verification process. In the sections marked “A” and “B” in the image above, you can see that Twitter has explicitly mentioned in the past whether an account has been verified on the platform.
However, as shown in section "C", this information was later changed to ensure that it was impossible to know who subscribed to the Twitter Blue service upon public request.
Meanwhile, Musk signed an open letter with more than 2,600 tech industry leaders and researchers calling for a halt to the development of artificial intelligence.
The letter was met with mixed opinions, with many prominent entrepreneurs opposing it.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong believes that every technology brings a certain degree of danger, and the goal should be to keep moving forward.