Twitter Said to Add Gray Check Marks As Well As Blue for Official Accounts – CNET [CNET]

You won’t be able to buy gray check marks, according to a Twitter employee.

Twitter will apparently distinguish between official accounts and those that have paid for a blue check mark with yet another check mark, this time in gray.

“A lot of folks have asked about how you’ll be able to distinguish between Twitter Blue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the ‘Official’ label to select accounts when we launch,” Esther Crawford, who works on Twitter Blue, tweeted Tuesday.

Crawford attached a screenshot of the official Twitter account with its $8 a month blue check mark and, underneath the handle, a gray-outlined check mark next to the word “Official.”

Having a previously verified account won’t automatically get you an official label. Instead, it will only be given to government accounts, companies, major media outlets, publishers, “business partners” and “some public figures,” Crawford wrote. You won’t be able to pay for a gray check mark.

Twitter didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

New Twitter owner Elon Musk last week announced that he wants to charge $8 a month for a subscription plan that includes a blue verified check mark on accounts. It would also feature priority in replies, mentions and search results; the ability to post long video and audio clips; and seeing half as many ads.

Twitter Blue, which was previously priced at $5 a month, didn’t include the blue check mark, which was only given to “verified” accounts.

“The new Twitter Blue does not include ID verification — it’s an opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features,” Crawford added. “We’ll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types.”