On Wednesday, Twitter launched the new Twitter Blue subscription, which includes the same blue checkmark that previously denoted verified accounts. Anyone can get a checkmark, and at a glance, it is impossible to tell whether a user has a checkmark because they are notable in their field or simply paid $8 for it. This opens the door to endless scams and pranks, but thankfully, there is already a reliable solution for Chrome users.
As spotted by 9to5Mac editor-in-chief Chance Miller, two software developers built a Chrome extension that can show you who just paid $8 for Twitter Blue and who is actually verified by Twitter. The extension replaces the checkmarks to make it clear how all of the users on your timeline got their blue checkmarks in the first place.
If you want to use the Chrome extension, you’ll need to visit the GitHub page and follow the directions. Unlike extensions on the Chrome Web Store, this does require a bit of extra work, but it might be worth it to end the confusion on Twitter.
At this point, we have no idea what the future of verification on Twitter looks like. For about two hours, there was a second “Official” checkmark for notable accounts, such as celebrities and news organizations. Elon Musk quickly scrapped the feature, saying that “Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months,” and that the team will “keep what works & change what doesn’t.” Apparently, the Official checkmark doesn’t work.
Musk took to Twitter once again on Thursday morning to state that “far too many corrupt legacy Blue “verification” checkmarks exist,” leaving the company no choice but to “remove legacy Blue” in the coming months. It’s unclear what he means by corrupt, but presumably, most everyone who doesn’t pay to have a blue checkmark will soon lose it.
