The new controls are part of Twitter's
effort to reassure and lure back advertisers that have pulled ads off the
platform since it was purchased in October by billionaire Elon Musk, amid
reports from civil rights groups that hate speech has risen since the
acquisition and after several banned or suspended accounts were reinstated.
Twitter earns nearly 90 percent of its
revenue from selling digital ads. Musk recently attributed a "massive drop
in revenue" to civil rights organisations that have pressured brands to
pause their Twitter ads.
In a recent call with an advertising
industry group, a Twitter representative said the platform was considering
bringing its content moderators, many of whom are contracted through
third-party vendors, in-house, according to a source familiar with the remarks.
The Twitter representative said bringing
content moderators in-house at Twitter would allow the platform to invest more
in moderation for non-English languages, according to the source.
The email to advertisers on Thursday, which
was reviewed by Reuters, said a revamped version of Twitter's subscription
service called Twitter Blue would begin rolling out on Friday.
The subscription will allow accounts to
receive a verified check mark. Accounts for individuals will get a blue check,
while gold and gray check marks will denote business and government accounts,
according to the email.
The subscription price will be $7 per month on the web and $11 per month on
Apple devices, the email said.
Twitter, which has lost many members of its
communications team, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. © Reuters