Only verified accounts can vote in Twitter polls from April 15: Elon Musk

If you’re looking to participate in a Twitter poll, you may not be able to do so April 15 onwards if you don’t have a verified handle, the social media giant’s new boss Elon Musk announced on March 28.

“Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations. The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle. Voting in polls will require verification for same reason,” he tweeted.

Musk, however, added that said, it’s ok to have verified bot accounts if they follow terms of service and don’t impersonate a human.

Replying on the Twitter thread, a user questioned the billionaire’s decision and suggested, “You need to invest money into talent and AI tech to detect bots on the platform. This isn't the way to go. It could tarnish the platform.”

To this, Musk replied, “My prediction is that this will be the only platform you can trust.”

The news concerning Twitter polls comes days after the microblogging site announced that Twitter users who have the blue verified tick marks against their names under the legacy verified programme will not be able to avail of it from April 1 onwards without subscription.

However, Elon Musk has clarified that any individual person’s Twitter account affiliated with a verified organisation is automatically verified.

If an individual subscribes to Twitter Blue and takes a annual plan, they will be billed Rs 566.67 per month i.e Rs 6,800 per year billed annually and they go for the monthly plan, they will have to Rs Rs 650 a month i.e. Rs 7,800 per year.

Twitter Blue subscribers with a verified phone number will get a blue checkmark once approved. The subscription for individuals comes with all existing Blue features like — Edit Tweet, 1080p video uploads, Reader, custom navigation, Bookmark Folders, Top Articles and more.

Among the new features of Twitter Blue, verified users will be able to post longer videos and get early access to select new features with Twitter Blue Labs.

The company soon plans to launch the feature that’ll rocket to the top of replies, mentions and search, meaning the tweets from verified users will be prioritised — helping to fight scams and spam. Users will soon see 50 percent fewer ads in the home timeline.