Twitter is delaying the rollout of verification check marks to subscribers of its new $8 (roughly Rs. 660) a month service until after Tuesday’s midterm elections, the New York Times reported on Sunday. Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The US midterm elections on Tuesday will decide whether Republicans or President Joe Biden’s Democrats will control Congress.

Changes to Twitter’s verification process came a week after Elon Musk took over the social media company in a $44 billion (roughly Rs. 3,61,700 crore) deal. On Saturday, Twitter updated its app in Apple’s App Store to begin charging $8 (roughly Rs. 660) for blue check verification marks.

On Sunday, Twitter pushed out an update for its iOS app which introduces the new revamped Twitter Blue subscription that new owner and CEO Elon Musk has been promoting through his own tweets. The changelog for the update stated that Twitter Blue subscribers would automatically get a blue checkmark badge on their profiles, which used to be given only to the verified accounts of corporates, celebrities, and public figures.

Meanwhile, the price of Twitter Blue has risen to $7.99 (roughly Rs. 660) per month in the US from $4.99 (roughly Rs. 400), and Musk has indicated that this will be scaled to purchasing power in other countries.

According to the iOS app update’s release notes, the new ‘Twitter Blue with verification’ will first be available in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Twitter recently laid off 50 percent of its employees, including employees on the trust and safety team, the company’s head of safety and integrity Yoel Roth said in a tweet earlier this week.

Reuters reported on Thursday that Musk has directed Twitter’s teams to find up to $1 billion (roughly Rs. 8,200 crore) in annual infrastructure cost savings.

© Thomson Reuters 2022