Since taking over at Twitter, Elon Musk has started rolling out a plan to charge for blue checkmarks. But he may not stop there.
Musk, who officially acquired Twitter last month, has discussed the idea of implementing a paywall for the entirety of Twitter, according to a report from Casey Newton at Platformer. "Most or all users" could be charged a subscription fee, and under one plan, users would only be able to browse Twitter for a "limited amount of time" monthly before needing to pay, the report says.
This would be another monumental change to Twitter's business as the platform launches a new $8 per month version of Twitter Blue. A Blue subscription isn't currently required to use Twitter, but those who subscribe will receive a blue checkmark, as well as features like the ability to post longer video and audio and receive fewer ads.
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"We need to pay the bills somehow!" Musk tweeted at author Stephen King to defend the subscription fee. "Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers."
Originally, Musk was reportedly looking to charge $20 a month rather than $8, but at either price, the idea sparked backlash due to concerns that handing out blue checkmarks to anyone who pays could increase the spread of misinformation on the platform. The rollout of checkmarks for Blue subscribers was delayed until after the midterm elections after employees raised concerns that the "for-play badges could cause confusion," The New York Times reports.
Platformer's report says it wasn't clear "how serious" Musk is about the paywall idea, which "does not appear imminent" as the site remains focused on its Twitter Blue launch.
