Twitter has returned; though not in the way one might expect. A group led by Stephen Kottas, Twitter's former general counsel, has recently launched a new version of the social platform currently operating at "Twitter.now".
The idea of launching this new version of Twitter has been pursued for some time by a startup called "Operation Bluebird." The new Twitter, like the original version, uses blue as the primary element of its visual identity and its logo is also a bird; although the design of this bird differs from the old logo and appears to feature more detail in its feathers.
The launch of this platform comes while a judge is still reviewing a request for a temporary restraining order filed by Elon Musk and X in connection with a trademark legal dispute. Kottas told Ars Technica: "We've waited months and months to launch and we are not going to wait any longer."
Operation Bluebird has repeatedly emphasized that the project is legally permissible; because after Elon Musk purchased Twitter in 2022, he quickly changed the platform's name and logo to X. Members of this group believe that the identity and intellectual property associated with Twitter were set aside and consequently it became possible to use a new identity similar to Twitter.
However, Musk has sued the group in a federal court in the state of Delaware. The case is still under consideration in court, but the district court judge, Calem Connolly, has apparently indicated that the case may ultimately be decided in favor of Operation Bluebird.
He noted in his initial ruling in April that X has not presented credible evidence of use of the term "tweet" or the bird logo.
Kottas in this new entity also holds the same role he previously had at Twitter, serving as general counsel. He recently stated that he regards the judge's initial ruling as a green light to continue the project and said: "Our view is that X has abandoned its rights in Twitter and the tweet trademarks."
The new website has also clearly tried to distance itself from X and emphasizes in its branding that it "is not affiliated with X Corp." Kottas also confirmed this in a LinkedIn post and said: "The public square is open again and is definitely in no way affiliated with X."
The platform is also attempting to distinguish itself from the common model of modern social networks. The project's mission statement says social networks have become very powerful tools, but in their development they have taken control away from users. The statement emphasizes that algorithms reward anger, bots have played a role in forming consensus, and discerning and earning trust has become more difficult.
To address this, an AI-based tool called "Vera" has been planned for the platform. Vera stands for "Veracity Engine for Real-time Analysis" and is tasked with automatically reviewing posts so users can better assess the accuracy of published information.
However, the Vera model is still in early development and will have to face numerous challenges.
Notably, using the new Twitter is not free, at least for now. Users must pay a one-time fee of $20 to start activity as a "founder"; an amount that is about half the cost of one month of X Premium+ subscription.
The platform has stated that collecting this fee is intended to "keep bots away and preserve independence" and believes that creating a paid gateway can indicate that a real person is behind the account.
It has also been announced that the platform will be made available to more people in the future, but it is not yet clear whether this means a free version will be offered later on.