Twitter Inc said on Monday it was re-enabling Twitter Blue sign ups for iOS and web users, and replacing the "official" label with a gold checkmark on some business accounts on the social media platform.
The company said Twitter Blue subscribers will get access to subscriber-only features such as the ability to edit tweets, while government accounts will get a gray checkmark.
Twitter Blue was initially launched early in November, before pausing it as fake accounts mushroomed. It was then scheduled to launch again on Nov. 29, but was pushed back.
The relaunch of Twitter Blue comes as the Tesla and SpaceX owner has stepped up his tweets endorsing right-wing causes, including opposition to the use of gender-neutral pronouns and the US government's response to Covid-19.
The subscription service costs $8 per month for users accessing Twitter on the web and $11 if signing up on an Apple device. The extra price could be explained by Musk's anger that Apple charges up to 30 percent service fee on its app store.
The initial rollout of Twitter Blue caused an uproar when many fake accounts popped up pretending to be celebrities or companies and Musk's team was forced to pull the plug on the scheme.
This time, the company beefed up its verification procedure with a review required by Twitter before receiving the coveted blue check mark.
Checkmarks are now gold for businesses and, later in the week, will become gray for government organizations, the company said.
A blue checkmark on an account, which indicates it has been verified by Twitter, was previously free but reserved for organizations and public figures in an attempt to avoid impersonation and misinformation.
According to the site, new subscriptions to Twitter Blue were currently available only in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, "with plans to expand."
