"Please continue complaining, but it will cost $8": Elon Musk reacts to blue tick fee backlash

• Image Credit: Google

• Nov 2, 2022 | Dhupali Das

The addition of a price for the blue tick is the first significant modification to the microblogging site since...

Digital Desk: Twitter's new boss, Elon Musk, has a message for users who are upset by his announcement of an $8 monthly subscription for a verified badge.

"To all complainers, please continue complaining, but it will cost $8," Musk tweeted as several influencers and celebrities expressed security fears, claiming that anyone can now start an account in someone's name, pay the money, and have it verified.

The addition of a price for the blue tick is the first significant modification to the microblogging site since Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over after months of dramatic developments that also reached the courtroom.

Musk had previously stated that the account verification procedure is being redesigned and that he now refers to himself as the "Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator."

He said yesterday that he would levy a $8 monthly fee for Twitter's Blue service, referring to the move as "power to the people."

"Twitter's current lords and peasants system for who has or does not have a blue checkmark is a load of nonsense," he said.

Musk stated that the new plan offers verified users a number of additional features.

"You will also get: Priority in replies, mentions and search, which is essential to defeat spam/scam. Ability to post long video and audio. Half as many ads. And paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with us," he tweeted.

He stated that the price will be adjusted by "country proportionate to purchasing power parity." Musk did not define how "buying power" was determined.

Earlier, it was speculated that the verification charge may be as high as $20 per month.

Many people, including best-selling author Stephen King, had a strong reaction to this.

"$20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I'm gone like Enron," Mr King had tweeted.

The one and only Musk responded to him. "We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?" the new Twitter boss replied.