‘I Just Killed It’: Musk Says As ‘Official’ Tag With High-Profile Twitter Handles Disappears Within Hours

Elon Musk wrote on Twitter, “blue check will be the great leveler” and that “Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months.”

In less than 2 hours of release, Twitter CEO Elon Musk decided to remove the "official" badge with a gray checkmark that was appearing in some profiles. Musk took to his official Twitter handle to announce his decision and said he has “killed” the idea of an “Official” badge with a gray checkmark. Musk wrote, “blue check will be the great leveler” and “Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months.” The company will “keep what works and change what doesn’t.”

Earlier in the day, the micro-blogging site added an 'official' label to the Twitter handle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some other ministers. The social media giant has launched this facility to differentiate between the 'Twitter Blue' account and verified accounts.

Modi's verified blue tick Twitter handle @narendramodi was marked 'Official' with a tick mark enclosed in a circle.

This step has been taken in accordance with the changes declared by Twitter recently for verified accounts.

The 'official' label has been given to selected verified accounts including major media organisations and governments.

Twitter official Esther Crawford in a tweet said: "A lot of folks have asked about how you'll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we're introducing the 'Official' label to select accounts when we launch." "Not all previously verified accounts will get the 'Official' label and the label is not available for purchase. Accounts that will receive it include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures," she said.

The new Twitter Blue, she said, does not include ID verification. "It's an opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features. We'll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types." 

The changes come days after the world's richest man Elon Musk took over Twitter Inc for USD 44 billion and brought in a slew of changes, including a subscription programme and a new verification system.