Elon Musk is trying again to launch a paid Twitter subscription that includes account authentication, one of his flagship projects for the platform, after a first attempt marked by widespread confusion and an influx of fake accounts, AFP reports.

The company gradually unveiled the plan on Monday, explaining on its website that the subscription will initially be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom for $8 a month, or $11 for owners of Apple devices.

But as of 18:00 GMT, it was not yet available.

The main interest for those who agree to pay money: checkmark for subscriber ID, blue for individuals, gold for companies, gray for institutions.

To take advantage of this authentication, users must have an account for at least 90 days associated with a verified phone number that does not appear to be “fraudulent or fraudulent.”

They must also be active at least once in the previous month and not change their Twitter profile picture or name in the previous week.

According to detailed terms of use published by Twitter, users who already have a checkmark will theoretically be able to keep it without paying.

The first attempt to launch the new subscription system in early November was met with a flurry of accounts impersonating celebrities or major companies and mixed messages.

Then the project was suspended and then postponed several times.

Musk, Twitter and an unclear strategy

This initiative aims to allow Twitter to diversify its revenue beyond advertising.

Advertising revenue has fallen in recent months due to a slowing economy, and many advertisers have been spooked by Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform, fearing that their ads will end up supporting controversial content.

Musk, who calls himself a defender of free speech and regularly argues that Twitter has historically been biased in favor of left-wing ideas, has significantly reduced the number of people in charge of moderation and allowed the return of ousted figures such as Donald Trump.

He himself posted a series of controversial posts this weekend attacking former White House pandemic adviser Anthony Fauci, former Twitter security chief Joel Roth and gender-neutral pronouns.

The multi-billionaire has also sought to gain attention by touting what he calls the “Twitter files” over the past ten days, internal documents purported to illustrate moderation practices.