Saga over Blue Tick: Money Making Machine

Social media has become an integral part of people's lives and daily routines. Some are addicted to it so much that the first thing they do after waking up is to check their social media feeds.

It is not uncommon for technologists, particularly those who are involved in cybersecurity and privacy, to prefer not to have any digital footprints. This is because they are aware of the potential risks associated with having an online presence, such as data breaches, hacking, identity theft, and cyberstalking. By minimizing their digital footprint, they hope to reduce their exposure to these risks.

Blue Tick, also known as Verification Badge, is a feature on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter that indicates the authenticity of a user's account. It is typically denoted by a blue checkmark next to the user's name. After Twitter and Instagram, Gmail gets Blue Ticks.

Earlier, it was on impression that the Instagram and Twitter had very strict criteria for awarding the Blue Tick badge, which was only available to users who met specific eligibility requirements. The process was also opaque and arbitrary, leading to accusations of bias and favouritism. This impression has been capitalised by Elon Musk after he bought Twitter.

In India, Twitter Blue subscription costs ₹900 per month for both Android and iOS devices. For web, the pricing is ₹650 per month. Buyers can also opt for an annual subscription priced at ₹6,800 on the web. Annual subscription cost on iOS and Android is ₹9,400 per year. At the same time, Meta Verified, and it will allow Facebook and Instagram users to pay a monthly fee to get a blue checkmark next to their name. The cost is 1,450 per month on mobile and Rs. 1,099 for web access to Facebook and Instagram. It promises to offer an additional layer of protection by validating each account with a government-issued ID, minimising the danger of account impersonation.

Much awaited, Google has now jumped to introduce blue Verified tick bandwagon with its latest security initiative. According to Google, the blue tick would help users and email security systems identify as well as stop spam. The tool would also let brands leverage their brand trust. “Strong email authentication helps users and email security systems identify and stop spam, and also enables senders to leverage their brand trust.

Experts say, we just have to wait for the pricing structure to get announced by Google. However, some critics argue that it could also lead to an influx of fake accounts and fraudsters trying to game the system to obtain the coveted badge.

Overall, the saga over Blue Tick is a reflection of the changing nature of social media, where authenticity and credibility are becoming increasingly important, and platforms are under pressure to provide more transparency and accountability to their users.