French authorities ban Twitter Blue for political candidates ahead of elections

French authorities ban Twitter Blue for political candidates ahead of elections
French authorities ban Twitter Blue for political candidates ahead of elections
By Oceane Duboust • Updated: 20/07/2023
French political candidates will not be allowed to have a blue tick on Twitter six months ahead of an election, campaign financing authorities said.

France’s commission for campaign accounts and political financing, the CNCCFP, said in a thread on the social media site that the blue check would be considered a form of “sponsored advertising”.

French law bans candidates from any form of commercial advertising in the press or any means of audiovisual communication in the six months preceding an election.

“Twitter Blue makes it possible, in particular, to increase the visibility of an account and the reach of the messages broadcast,” the French campaign accounts authority added in a tweet.

“This paid subscription, by its operation and its purpose, is a new method of advertising sponsorship”.

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A blue check on Twitter previously certified the authenticity of an account on the social media platform and had been widely used by political figures, institutions, media and celebrities.

But since billionaire Elon Musk acquired Twitter last year, he deployed a new system in which the blue tick became an option you had to pay for, with perks such as the ability to post longer tweets or receive more visibility for €11 a month.

Official accounts of government organisations or officials instead now have a grey tick on their Twitter accounts, while businesses have a yellow mark next to their name.