Elon Musk to scrap Twitter features for non-paying users

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter last year, the social network has undergone numerous changes, including the introduction of the Twitter Blue subscription service, which will begin receiving exclusive features previously available to all platform users on April 15.

These features include the use of the 'For You' page, showing recommended Tweets, and the possibility to interact with voting polls. According to the Twitter owner, these changes are "the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over," adding that it would otherwise be "a hopeless losing battle."

Elon before buying Twitter: I want this to be the free speech center of the world.

Elon ever since: If you don’t pay me every month nobody will see anything you say 🤗 pic.twitter.com/wyLc2b5tmI

— Mac (@GoodPoliticGuy) March 28, 2023

In order to use the 'exclusive' features, users have to subscribe to Twitter Blue, a paid service that costs about €8 per month. The service was first launched at the end of 2022 to allow users to be verified with a blue checkmark.

Since the blue check marks were originally used to indicate an account's trustworthiness, there has been a lot of chaos on the platform since the introduction of Twitter Blue.

Twitter temporarily suspended the subscription service in November 2022 after users began abusing it to impersonate brands and celebrities. As users could easily change their names or create new accounts, the platform became even more vulnerable to misinformation, while many acquired checkmarks were used to impersonate brands, politicians, and celebrities with disparaging messages.

Following sports transactions and news could become a total mess with the new verification system

Already fake LeBron and Aroldis Chapman tweets going around pic.twitter.com/vQgMqws1W0

— Joon Lee (@joonlee) November 9, 2022

Before the former richest man in the world became CEO of Twitter, it was mainly public institutions, politicians and journalists who received verification. They now face losing their verification if their account was created before Elon Musk bought the platform for $44 billion in Ocotber 2022.

Canadian actor William Shatner criticised Musk for saying that blue checkmarks will soon disappear for non-paying customers. Musk responded that the rules are "more about treating everyone equally," as there "shouldn't be a different standard for celebrities."

Musk's Twitter plans have drawn much protest and criticism from users of the platform. Among them is American activist Monica Lewinsky, who sees the Twitter Blue concept as a danger since it opens the social network to impersonation and misinformation.

In a Tweet she said: "In what universe is it fair to people who can suffer consequences for being impersonated? A lie travels half way around the world before truth even gets out the door."

in what universe is this fair to people who can suffer consequences for being impersonated? a lie travels half way around the world before truth even gets out the door.

— Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) March 26, 2023

Musk's acquisition was intended to reinforce the platform's reputation for free speech and to strengthen the discourse.
However, recent findings from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, the Anti-Defamation League, and other online platform research organisations revealed an increase in hate speech on Twitter.

According to the research, hate posts about Black Americans have tripled since Musk took over, while tweets against gay men have doubled. It further shows that there have been over 61 percent more anti-Semitic posts reffering to Jews or Judaism.

“Elon Musk sent up the Bat Signal to every kind of racist, misogynist and homophobe that Twitter was open for business,” said Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate. “They have reacted accordingly.”