Elon Musk has announced that those who will subscribe to Twitter Blue —
Premium tier — would be allowed to participate in voting held on Twitter, he
said on his social media platform.
Musk, who is the world's
richest man and the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, acquired ownership of Twitter
last year for $44 billion and stated on the microblogging website that he
believes it is the only way to allow real accounts to take part and keep the
advanced AI bots aside.
He also noted that the subscribers of the premium service will also
be eligible to appear in "For You" recommendations of a user.
"For
You" feed will suggest the Tweets which a user might like from the accounts
that are not followed, based on the algorithms and user activity.
"Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible
to be in For You recommendations,” Musk said in a tweet on Monday night.
"The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking
over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle."
He also wrote:
"That said, it's ok to have verified bot accounts if they follow terms of
service [and] don’t impersonate a human."
Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 27, 2023
The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.
Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.
Musk announcement drew the ire of hundreds of Twitter users.
One
user said he couldn't support it and Musk needed to invest money into talent
and AI tech to detect bots on the platform.
"This isn’t the way to go. It could tarnish the platform."
Elon Musk replied: “My prediction is that this will be the only
platform you can trust."
I don't get behind this decision. You need to invest money into talent and AI tech to detect bots on the platform.
— Ben (@videotech_) March 28, 2023
This isn't the way to go. It could tarnish the platform
Another user wrote: "So basically if you can't afford to pay
for Twitter your voice cannot be amplified in the 'Town Square'?"
While another said: "How does this prevent verified accounts
that are impersonating non-verified accounts (eg. 'notable figures') from
getting even more visibility?"
Before Musk’s takeover, the blue
tick was provided to notable and popular users after their authenticity was
verified but the policy was revisited after the billionaire took over the
microblogging website.
Now, it would be given to those who would
meet the stated requirements. It may be possible that people would lose
their check marks before the April 1.
Musk has tried to lure people by encouraging them with a "For
You" feed — which helps in increasing the account reach to greater and
similar interest users.
The Twitter Blue subscription is
available on the web on $8 monthly or $84 annually whereas it is available
via iOS and Android for $11 per month ($115 per year)
