Twitter's new owner and CEO Elon Musk announced on Monday evening via tweet that the company is holding off the relaunch of its paid verification subscription service, according to TechCrunch.
The CEO said that Twitter is delaying the relaunch until such a time that the platform is confident about stopping impersonation.
Likewise, the billionaire also said that the social media service might use a different color check to verify organizations.
Twitter Pauses its $8 Verification Subscription Service Following Impersonation Problems
The company paused its recently announced $8 verification subscription service or the popular blue checkmark after impersonators and pranksters use it to pose as brands, celebrities, and companies, and posted inaccurate and false information on the platform.
One account impersonated the pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly. The impersonator posted "We are excited to announce that insulin is free now."
Before it was taken down, the tweet was viewed millions of times. The company apologized for the false information that circulated on Twitter. But as an aftermath, the company's stock dropped by 4.37 percent.
Musk then said that they will be relaunching the sought-after blue check subscription service on November 29, according to Independent.
However, in a meeting with employees, the CEO reportedly said that they are putting the relaunch of the paid verification subscription service on hold for the meantime, according to The Verge.
The billionaire rolled out the $8 verification badge as one of his means to wean off the platform's reliance on advertising to generate revenue.
Following Musk's $44 billion takeover of the platform, Twitter has been struggling with its advertising revenue.
Advertisers on the platform, including big companies such as General Motors, and Volkswagen AG, have decided to pause advertising on the service.
The platform is also facing other challenges. Last Thursday, hundreds of Twitter employees resigned from the company after the CEO's announcement that he will demand "extremely hardcore" work from the remaining employees.
Read Also: Twitter Blue With Verification Delayed Until After Mid-Term Elections
Plans to Stop Accounts From Impersonating Others Are Presently Unclear
The billionaire claimed that he would change Twitter's verification system after he acquired it. One of the early changes that he introduced is providing a blue tick to everyone who is willing to pay $8 and subscribe to Twitter Blue.
According to him, adding this paid tier to the platform would help lessen spam and fake accounts since they will not be willing to pay the amount to get a verified account.
But soon after the rollout of the $8 paid verification subscription service earlier this month, the platform experienced problems. A number of users purchased verified badges and began impersonating celebrities, brands, and organizations.
Currently, it is unclear how the CEO plans to stop accounts from impersonating others with the blue checkmark, according to The Verge. The platform does not verify the identity that the users claim to be.
Since the billionaire took over the company, the platform has been adding and removing separate, grey checkmarks on high-profile accounts.
This is presumably a part of its move to distinguish the accounts from those that have the blue checkmark that has become something anyone can buy.
Twitter has no communications department to contact for comments.
Related Article: Elon Musk Sets Twitter Blue's Relaunch On November 29
