Twitter Blue Sign-Up Suspended To Address Impersonation Issues

The iPhone app’s menu rail currently lacks Twitter Blue. It’s still there on iPads, but clicking on the option to subscribe results in an error.

Someone tried it out on his iPad and received a notification saying it will be available in his country in the future, despite the fact that he is in the United States, one of the service’s launch locations.

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Twitter has yet to explain why Blue is acting up, but reverse app engineer Jane Manchun Wong claims that the in-app purchase for Twitter Blue verification is no longer in production.

One of her followers stated that they paid for a subscription and were verified, but their blue checkmark has vanished.

The Washington Post and Platformer’s Zoe Schiffer reported Monday that they had seen internal Slack messages in which Twitter personnel confirmed that the launch of Twitter Blue had been halted “to help address impersonation issues.”

Schiffer continued in a thread that Twitter had made Twitter Blue unfindable on the web and had also blocked signups via the iOS app. The “official” label is currently reserved for advertisers, but existing Blue subscribers will retain access to the features for which they paid.

NEW: Twitter has suspended the launch of Twitter Blue and is actively trying to stop people from subscribing "to help address impersonation issues," per an internal note. 1/

— Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) November 11, 2022

Since Twitter launched its $8 Blue subscription service, there has been chaos and mayhem. Its main selling point at the moment is instant verification, and people quickly realized that it could be used to create parody or fake accounts that appear legitimate.

A fake Nintendo of America account, for example, tweeted a photo of Mario giving everyone the middle finger, while a fake Valve account announced a new competitive platform.

Twitter went on a banning spree to get rid of the fake accounts, and it eventually decided to prevent new users from signing up for Blue. Furthermore, the website previously applied “Official” gray checkmarks to select notable accounts and public figures.

Following a faulty initial release, Twitter withdrew these “Official” labels with the intention of first verifying government and commercial entities. However, the company’s Support account announced that it is redistributing them in an effort to combat impersonation.

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In addition to dealing with impersonators and fake accounts, Twitter employees — at least those who remained after the mass layoffs — must contend with internal strife.

Lea Kissner, chief information security officer, Damien Kieran, and Marianne Fogarty, chief privacy officer, have all reportedly left the company. Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, also told remaining employees that the company is losing so much money that “bankruptcy is not out of the question.”