
Twitter users who want to be featured on “For You” recommendations, which displays a stream of tweets from accounts on the social media platform, need to have a verified account starting April 15, its CEO Elon Musk said.
It means that a user needs to be either a Twitter Blue subscriber or a company, government entity so that their tweets can be viewed by users who don’t necessarily follow them.
Moreover, Musk also said that only verified Twitter accounts would be eligible to vote in polls—a move that would have significant ramifications on how users interact with the social networking site.
The decision falls in line with Musk’s efforts to move all the users to the new Twitter Blue subscription, as he announced last week that all legacy blue tick owners will soon start losing their verification badge.
“Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations. This 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 tweeted.
The “For You” feature was rolled out in January, allowing users the option to view popular tweets from users they don’t necessarily follow. Twitter also has a Following tab, where users will only see content from accounts they follow.
Last year, Musk had said Twitter would restrict voting on policy-related polls to paying Twitter Blue subscribers.
The desperate push to make Twitter blue subscription comes at a time when the social networking site has been losing ad revenue ever since Elon Musk took over.
According to the tech newsletter the Platformer report published in January, the company’s daily revenue was down 40 per cent year-over-year.
Concerns about an increase in hate speech on the platform after its acquisition by a self-described “free speech absolutist” have prompted advertisers towithdraw in droves, the report noted.
(With inputs from agencies)
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