Elon Musk, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Twitter, has announced that only verified accounts will be featured on Twitter’s ‘For You’ recommendations page. Moreover, only verified accounts will be able to vote in polls starting from April 15, 2023.
This development comes as a response to the ongoing problem of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) bots swarming the platform. However, the move to feature only verified accounts has sparked criticism from Twitter users who believe the platform should invest in AI tech to detect bots instead of limiting the functionality of non-verified accounts.
Musk responded to criticism by saying, "My prediction is that this will be the only platform you can trust." However, some Twitter users claim that the move will render their ‘For You’ recommendations useless. The move is seen by some as a way to force non-verified users to sign up for Twitter Blue, which could hurt the platform in the long run.
My prediction is that this will be the only platform you can trust
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 28, 2023
Last week, Musk announced that users with ‘legacy’ verified accounts would lose their blue ticks in April. Only users who sign up for Twitter Blue, which costs $8 (approx Rs 660) a month, will be able to get blue tick verified accounts. Musk's latest announcement empowers verified accounts to have more control and influence over the platform.
This move is not the first time that Musk has restricted functionality on Twitter. Last year, post his $44 billion Twitter takeover, he announced that the platform would restrict voting on policy-related polls to paying Twitter Blue subscribers. It remains to be seen whether this move will improve the platform’s functionality or whether it will be detrimental to its reputation.