[2] When introduced in June 2009, the system provided the site's readers with a means to distinguish genuine notable account holders, such as celebrities and organizations, from impostors or parodies.
In a related change, Twitter introduced additional gold and gray checkmarks, used by Verified Organizations and government-affiliated accounts, respectively.
[16] After the beta period, the company stated in their FAQ that it "proactively verifies accounts on an ongoing basis to make it easier for users to find who they're looking for" and that they "do not accept requests for verification from the general public".
[17] Originally, Twitter took on the responsibility of reaching out to celebrities and other notable people to confirm their identities in order to establish a verified account.
Besides the site's social media editor, John Colucci, Shatner also targeted several junior members of the staff for being "nobodies", unlike some of his actor colleagues who did not bear such distinction.
[30] In November 2019, Dalit activists of India alleged that higher-caste people get Twitter verification easily and trended hashtags #CancelAllBlueTicksInIndia and #CasteistTwitter.
The Verge reported that the updated Blue subscription would cost $19.99 per month, and users would lose their verification status if they did not join within 90 days.
[45] The decision to delay its rollout was to address concerns about users potentially spreading misinformation about voting results by posing as news outlets and lawmakers.
[46] At the same time, Twitter introduced a secondary gray "Official" label on some high-profile accounts, but removed them hours after launch.
[47][48][49] Less than 48 hours later, Twitter reinstated the gray "Official" label,[50][51] after multiple users were suspended for deliberately impersonating reporters and high-profile athletes like LeBron James.
[57][58] On December 12, 2022, Twitter Blue was relaunched again with some changes, including an increased price of $11 for users who sign up through iOS devices to compensate for the 30% cut imposed by Apple.
[66] The account, which tweeted profanities and claimed that South Park and Family Guy would be coming to Disney Junior,[67] became viral[68] and was later suspended.
[74] Similarly, Axios reported that White House digital strategy director Rob Flaherty sent an internal email to staffers saying "[t]here are ongoing trials for the program that we are monitoring, but we will not enroll in it.
[76] However, on April 2, 2023, the main account for The New York Times became one of the first major media companies to lose its verified status on Twitter.
[78] He criticised the newspaper for tweeting hundreds of posts every day, including drafts that were not accepted into the published editions of the paper, and inundating the daily feed of users who followed it.
[93] On April 22, 2023, Twitter seemingly began issuing blue and gold[94] checkmarks to accounts with at least a million followers, including those belonging to deceased users such as Anthony Bourdain, Chadwick Boseman, and Kobe Bryant.
[101][102] On October 17, 2023, X announced that it would trial a scheme requiring new users who register via the website in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay US$1 per-year in order to use the platform.