Twitter, which is known for its iconic blue checkmark, launched the Twitter Blue subscription in November 2021 as part of a move pioneered by Elon Musk to disincentivize spam bots and fake accounts on the platform. With people taking the opportunity to verify parody accounts, the number of verified profiles on the platform suddenly skyrocketed, and it became difficult to tell who was genuine and who had paid for verification.

In order to remedy this issue, a Chrome, Firefox, and Safari browser extension called Eight Dollars was developed. This extension sheds light on who has paid for the Twitter Blue subscription by displaying “paid” next to the blue checkmark for accounts that have paid $8 for the service. This helps separate real Twitter users from those who have paid for their checkmark and removes doubt from the equation.

The Eight Dollars browser extension has gained a lot of traction on Twitter, with users showing their support for the software and applauding it for helping to reestablish transparency on the platform. In addition to the verification issue, figures in the tech industry spearheaded by Musk have signed an open letter calling for a halt on Artificial Intelligence development, leading to mixed reactions from the community.

The popular opinion is that technology inherently carries with it certain risks, but it's best to keep on pushing forward rather than impose restrictions. People can thus decide themselves whether or not to take advantage of the new AI opportunities. All in all, the Eight Dollars extension has helped restore trust in the verification system on Twitter, making it easier for users to ascertain the legitimacy of an account.



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