Twitter has decided to put off its $8 "blue check" plan until after the midterm elections

A source who knows about the decision told 96technosoft that Twitter will wait until after the midterm elections to roll out account verifications for its paid Twitter Blue subscription plan

The decision to delay the new feature comes just one day after the platform released an updated version of its iOS app. This update promised to give users who pay a monthly subscription fee a blue checkmark on their profiles. CEO Elon Musk suggested this as a way to fight spam on the platform.

The latest update to the app says that users will now have to pay $7.99 per month for the company's Twitter Blue verification feature, "just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow." For many years, the checkmark has been used to verify the authenticity of government officials, prominent figures, and journalists.

Twitter also appeared to be charging $4.99, which was an out-of-date price. The decision to postpone the rollout comes as the decision to charge users for verification has received widespread public criticism. Over the weekend, some celebrities on the platform posed as Musk as a sign of defiance. This showed that the "Blue Check" system might have a flaw.

Comedian Sarah Silverman trolled Musk with her verified account, copying his profile picture, cover image, and name. The only thing that set a tweet from Silverman's account apart was the @SarahKSilverman handle.

"I am a free speech absolutist who eats doody for breakfast every day," Silverman wrote on Twitter on Saturday. Her account also retweeted messages in favor of Democratic candidates.

On Sunday, Silverman's account was marked as "temporarily restricted," with a warning that "there has been some unusual activity from this account" displayed to visitors before they clicked through to the profile. The comedian then put her account back to how it was before, with her name and picture.

Valerie Bertinelli, a television actress, also changed her account name to that of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, tweeting on Friday that "the blue checkmark simply meant your identity was verified." Scammers would find it more difficult to impersonate you. That is no longer the case. "Best of luck out there!" "You can buy a blue check mark for $7.99 a month without verifying who you are," she wrote in response to a follower who asked how the checkmark no longer applies.

After she changed her profile name to Musk, Bertinelli tweeted and retweeted support for several Democratic candidates and hashtags, such as "Vote Blue for Democracy" and "#VoteBlueIn2022.

On Sunday, the actress went back to using Valerie Bertinelli's Twitter handle and tweeted, "Okay, I've had my fun, and I think I've made my point."

Musk said on Sunday that any Twitter accounts that use impersonation without making it clear that it's a parody will be banned for good. He also stated on Twitter that changing one's name will "cause a temporary loss of the verified checkmark."

Furthermore, Musk stated that Twitter users will no longer be warned before being suspended. "This will be clearly identified as a requirement for signing up for Twitter Blue," he wrote on Twitter.

The trolling comes after Musk bought the company and promised to restore the accounts of users who had previously been banned from the platform, most notably former President Donald Trump. Musk has also stated that the company's content restrictions will be limited and that account verification will require a paid subscription.

Musk has shared conspiracy theories about the attack on Paul Pelosi, called Democrats the party of "division and hatred," compared Twitter's former CEO to Joseph Stalin, and warned that "the woke mind virus will destroy civilization" in recent months.

Since buying the social media platform last week, the billionaire has moved quickly to shake things up. He has gotten rid of the board of directors and fired the top executives. Musk asked his followers over the weekend if he should bring back Vine, Twitter's old short-form video service. When a user suggested that the platform's character limits be changed, Musk said "absolutely." It's not clear if Musk really wants to make any or all of these changes.

Musk wrote on Twitter on Sunday, "The whole process of verification is being changed right now."

Even before the agreement was finalized, Musk floated the idea of tying verification to a paid subscription service. Musk stated in April that Twitter's paid subscribers "should get an authentication checkmark." In another tweet, he said, "Price should probably be $2/month, but I paid for 12 months up front and my account doesn't get a checkmark for 60 days (watch for credit card chargebacks) and is suspended with no refund if used for scam/spam."

While the blue check mark has become a status symbol for users, it is also intended to ensure that people can tell which accounts are authentic and which are not, especially for celebrities, brands, and other influential accounts. There are concerns that if Musk implements a paid verification barrier, it will be more difficult to determine whether a well-known name is a bot or not.