Does a blue badge guarantee authenticity?

Social media has become an arena for many disputes, especially when it comes to the statements granted to the former Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the Republic, Nadia Okasha. And so, an alleged account in the name of Nadia Okasha published, on Tuesday evening, June 13, 2023, tweets launching serious accusations against the head of state, Kais Saied. These tweets have shocked Tunisians. Controversy has swelled since the account was briefly deactivated. Opening a debate between those who believe the account is authentic and those who believe it is gross impersonation.

The account, which was created in April 2023, had 91 subscribers and 316 subscribers, and was stamped with the blue dot, a Twitter verification code. Some Tunisians believed these tweets and accusations of the existence of the blue badge.

However, it is important to note that having a blue badge does not guarantee the credibility of an account. Previously, this badge was free and was a sign of authenticity and notoriety. But now it simply says that the user is subscribed to Twitter Blue, for an eight dollar monthly fee, and that the platform has verified their phone number.

There is a way to determine if an account is automatically verified by the platform (accredited accounts historically keep their badge for now) or if the certification was obtained via payment. To do this, just install Chrome Extension Named “Eight Dollars”. This extension makes it possible to see who is really verified on Twitter, and distinguishes accounts that are verified for free from accounts that have paid for verification.

How do you use eight bucks to find out who is really verified on Twitter?

Twitter recently introduced two verification systems: Twitter Blue and officially approved accounts. However, only one of these systems was reserved for legitimate verified accounts. Twitter Blue followers will display a blue tick icon next to their account, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that their identity has been verified. On the other hand, authentically verified accounts have an official badge that helps identify them.

In order to make this distinction easier, a New Zealand developer has created a browser extension called “Eight Dollars” that helps distinguish Twitter Blue users from legitimate verified accounts. Here’s how you can use it to achieve that distinction:

This eight-dollar extension was made necessary by the major changes that have occurred at Twitter since Elon Musk took over as company president. Many users are confused about some of the issues affecting the social media platform. One of the most notable changes was setting a blue checkmark for all accounts that sign up for the Twitter Blue monthly subscription.

This latest development split verified Twitter users into two different groups. The first group includes officially verified accounts, which are usually reputable or well-known figures in government, news, entertainment, sports, and similar categories. The second group consists of accounts subscribed to Twitter Blue.

Officially verified accounts:

blue twitter followers account

The account allegedly owned by Lady Akasha was later deleted, raising doubts about its legitimacy. This situation highlights the need to be careful when it comes to distinguishing verified accounts from others, which is where the eight dollar extension comes in. Separately, Nadia Akasha confirmed in a statement given to Business News, that this is not his account.

The case shook Tunisians, highlighting the importance of verifying sources and not relying solely on online verification codes.

AR