Twitter is delaying the rollout of its service of $8 monthly fee for blue tick verification until after Tuesday’s crucial midterm elections in the US, New York Times has reported.
The US midterm polls on Tuesday will decide who between Republicans and President Joe Biden’s Democrats will control Congress.
This latest development comes a day after the social media company, which was days ago acquired by Tesla CEO and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, launched the paid blue tick verification service for iOS users in the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
A new update on the Apple App Store on Saturday said that the “blue checkmark” will permit users to have verified accounts “just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow”.
“Starting today, we’re adding great new features to Twitter Blue, and have more on the way soon,” it read.
The changes to Twitter’s verification process came a week after Musk’s acquisition of the company in a $44 billion deal.
Musk has received massive backlash on the microblogging site over the monthly fee for the blue badge. However, the world’s richest man reiterated that the rule is not going to change, adding that those unhappy with the company’s decision can “keep complaining”.
He had said that the new service will allow users to enjoy “priority in replies, mentions and search, ability to post long video and audio, and half as many ads”. They would also have the ability to bypass paywalls for “publishers willing to work with us,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)