Plans to charge Twitter users for verified 'blue tick' accounts could cost the Scottish Government and local authorities thousands of pounds if implemented.
The social media giant is reportedly considering changes to its Blue subscription service, which could see users charged $20 (£17.30) a month or $240 a year.
Accounts with a blue tick have been checked by Twitter to ensure they are genuine and an authentic source of information - but they could lose that status if they do not agree to pay the charge within 90 days.
The Scottish Government has more than 40 official Twitter accounts, with 20 of them currently verified with a blue tick.
They include the First Minister's account - @ScotGovFM - which has 239,700 followers and is regularly used to share updates from Holyrood.
If all of the government's Twitter accounts paid the reported fee of $240 (£208.70) it could mean an annual bill of around £9,000.
The Scottish Parliament has 24 official accounts, but just two of those are verified. Almost all of the 129 MSPs also have verified personal Twitter profiles.
Elon Musk, the billionaire tech entrepreneur who bought the platform earlier this month, confirmed in a tweet over the weekend that the "whole verification process is being revamped right now". Twitter Blue is currently only available in a select few countries around the world – not including the UK – and allows those who subscribe to access additional Twitter functions, including in some areas the ability to edit tweets after sending them.
Monica Lennon, a Scottish Labour MSP, told the Record: "Whether charges come in for verified accounts is an interesting debate. However, what's more important is what the social media giant will do to tackle online hate speech and harassment. Like many politicians, I persevere with Twitter in order to be accessible to the people that I represent in Central Scotland.
"It still can be a force for good, thanks to the goodwill and humanity of people who choose to make it a welcoming online community. Those good people who have made Twitter a success deserve the company to work harder to protect their safe enjoyment of the site."
A Scottish Government spokesman said it would look "closely at the detail of any new paid features".
They added: "The Scottish Government takes decisions regarding expenditure on communications platforms based on cost and the associated benefits for audiences, including awareness of key public services and how best to access them. We would look closely at the detail of any new paid features that were officially announced before making these decisions."
A Scottish Parliament spokesman said: "We will wait and see whether Twitter implements this before considering it any further."
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