Plans to enable users to purchase blue-tick verified status have been confirmed by Twitter. The business announced the functionality would be available to customers in some countries who subscribe to its Twitter Blue service for $7.99 (£7) per month in an update for Apple devices.
On account of worries that the site would be overrun with fraudulent accounts, the policy adjustment is divisive.
Elon Musk, who recently acquired Twitter, fired over half of the company's workers on Friday. The coveted blue tick was historically exclusively accessible to prominent or influential people and organizations, who were required to provide identification.
It has been used as a telltale sign of an authentic profile and is a crucial tool for users to find trustworthy content on the network.
The policy modification could increase concerns that anyone willing to pay a monthly charge could imitate public leaders, celebrities, journalists, and corporations.
Following his acquisition of the company late last month in a $44 billion (£39 billion) deal, Mr. Musk, the richest man in the world, appears to be aiming to diversify Twitter's revenue.
The billionaire said on Friday that Twitter was losing more than $4 million (£3.5 million) every day, claiming that this left him with "no choice" but to fire roughly half of the company's 7,500 employees.
However, Mr Musk has insisted that the firm's stance towards harmful material remains "absolutely unchanged".
On Saturday a top United Nations official, Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk, urged Mr Musk to "ensure that human rights are central to the management of Twitter".
The unusual UN intervention pointed to the sacking of Twitter's whole human rights team, saying this was "not an encouraging start" under Mr Musk's ownership.
Few details were publicized relating to the change in verification policy, and a Twitter Blue subscription reportedly remained at its old price of £4.99 in the UK following Saturday's announcement.
Twitter's update said the changes would apply only in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand at first.
A flurry of tweets from Mr Musk himself suggested the changes would be rolled out worldwide after they were observed in the initial handful of countries.
It was not clear what would happen to those profiles which already had a blue tick - or if Twitter still planned to "verify" a user other than by charging them a subscription.
Responding to one user who asked what would happen to existing verified profiles, Mr Musk said the timeline for changes to be implemented was a "couple [of] months".
Answering another question about the risk of users pretending to be notable figures, he said Twitter would "suspend the account attempting impersonation and keep the money".
Previewing other upcoming changes, Mr Musk said Twitter would soon allow users to attach long-form text to tweets, "ending [the] absurdity of notepad screenshots".
Earlier on Saturday, Twitter co-founder and ex-CEO Jack Dorsey addressed the mass sackings, saying sorry to employees for what had unfolded at his former firm.
Mr Dorsey - who quit as CEO in November and left the board of directors in May - said he was aware Twitter staff were "angry with me".
His statement continued: "I own the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation: I grew the company size too quickly. I apologise for that."
Mr Dorsey appeared to endorse the need for dismissals. Earlier this year, he expressed support for Mr Musk's takeover.
A host of major brands have halted advertising spending with Twitter in recent days amid the company's upheaval.
Mr Musk has been looking to decrease the platform's reliance on adverts - and Saturday's update also promised "half the ads".
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