After taking over Twitter, tech billionaire Musk introduced a new payment system: the verification tick is now available to anyone who pays eight dollars a month for it. That comes in handy for pro-Russian accounts. Your Kremlin propaganda could soon reach significantly more people.
According to a study, Twitter accounts with pro-Russian propaganda buy verification ticks to increase their reach on the service. The profiles spread Russian misinformation about the war of aggression in Ukraine and stirred up sentiment against Western support for the country, the Washington Post wrote, citing findings by the US research group Reset.
The tick symbols for verified accounts used to be awarded by Twitter to celebrities, politicians or companies after verification. With tech billionaire Elon Musk as the new owner, users can buy it for eight dollars a month with a paid subscription. It has been announced for the future that posts by subscription customers will be placed more visibly on Twitter. Archive websites show that the accounts had no blue ticks up until this announcement, the study said.
On Twitter, tweets can not only be displayed chronologically, but also selected by algorithms. This view can also contain posts from accounts that are not followed. By replying to a tweet from a pro-Russian account, Musk gave it even more reach because its tweets were viewed more frequently afterwards. The tweet said 157,000 Ukrainian military personnel and 2,458 NATO soldiers were killed in the Ukraine war. Musk commented: “A tragic loss of life.” He later called on Twitter users to fact-check the numbers. However, NATO soldiers do not take part in the war.
A few months ago, Musk proposed, as a peace solution, to hold votes on future membership under UN supervision in the Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia in violation of international law. He also suggested recognizing the illegally occupied Crimea as part of Russia. At the same time, the Starlink systems of his company SpaceX provide internet coverage in Ukraine after Russian attacks on the infrastructure. However, he spoke out against the military use of the technology.
