Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos or Barack Obama always display a blue badge on Twitter. Yet they did not subscribe to Twitter Blue.
While Twitter’s historic certifications disappeared on Thursday, some accounts continue to display blue badges on the social network. Twitter Bleu, the platform’s paid offer, is now the only way to obtain the badge. But users benefit from the distinction without having taken out a subscription.
Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, is one of them. Thus on the social network, his name is followed by the blue badge, but also by a small square with the image of Twitter. It is actually a new option of the platform allowing a company account to link certain users by authenticating them among its collaborators.
$50 per account
This option is the professional counterpart of Twitter Blue, which targets individuals. Elon Musk’s goal is to make companies pay to keep their gold badge. These professional accounts then have the possibility of linking their employee under their brand. Provided you pay.
At the beginning of February, the price of 1000 dollars was advanced by the consultant Matt Navarra. Mail in support, he also claimed that the badges of affiliation would be invoiced 50 dollars the unit. In effect, this affiliate badge grants the same rights as the Twitter Blue subscription.
Thus, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, benefits from a certification badge under his link with the online sales group. Former presidential couple Barack and Michelle Obama also display this privilege. This time, under an account specifically created for the occasion: the office of Barack and Michelle Obama. An account that is identified as a business, has a gold badge, is only followed by two people, and only follows two people.
Towards payment requests?
In France, several people use this process to keep a certification badge. This is particularly the case of Kameto, the streamer who appeared alongside Squeezie in his last video, but above all the leader of la structure esport Karmine Corpwhich guarantees certification.
Another internet personality, Maxildan also displays an affiliate badge. Presenter of the program Le Récap on LeStreamit is attached to the business account of WebTV Webedia, whose broadcast will stop on May 31.
But this privilege may not last. Eliot Higgins, the founder of the NGO Bellingcat specializing in fact-checking, assured not to have subscribed to Twitter Blue.
Associated with the Bellingcat account, he inherited a blue badge, but without paying, neither for him nor for the NGO. The golden badge was granted to him for free. But lucid about the behavior of Twitter, he expects to receive a request for payment in the coming days.
