Musk defends paid blue badge plans for Twitter

Twitter's new owner Elon Musk defended his much-criticised launch of a paid subscription service to verify user accounts. — Photography OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP

Twitter's new owner Elon Musk defended Sunday his much-criticised launch of a paid subscription service to verify user accounts.

"Widespread verification will democratize journalism & empower the voice of the people," he tweeted, responding to concerns from associations, advertisers, and even the United Nations, who fear a surge of hate speech and misinformation on the network.