Twitter Begins Removing Blue Verification Badges from Non-Paying Users

• ByStartupStory     |    April 21, 2023

Twitter is now stripping the blue checkmark from verified users who haven’t subscribed to its paid service, Twitter Blue. This move comes after months of delay. Elon Musk launched Twitter Blue last year, which includes an $8 monthly fee for the blue tick and additional features. Legacy accounts with checkmarks that pre-date Musk’s takeover were given the option to pay for the subscription or lose their checkmark. The blue checkmark was originally introduced to prevent the impersonation of public figures. 

Twitter has started revoking the verified status of numerous high-profile accounts, including those of Pope Francis, Bill Gates, and Kim Kardashian, after repeatedly delaying the April 1 deadline to sign up. Prominent organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, have also lost their verification badges, with many using social media to express their refusal to subscribe to Twitter Blue.

On Twitter, a number of celebrities, including author Stephen King, have claimed that they still have their verification badges without paying for them. King tweeted, “My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t. My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t.” However, numerous government agencies, non-profit organizations, and public-service accounts have had their verification badges removed, causing concerns about how the public will be able to differentiate official channels of information from other accounts during public events or emergencies.

Since Elon Musk took over, verified government accounts have received a grey checkmark and verified media outlets a gold tick, but it’s unclear how these classifications are granted. The blue checkmark, previously a symbol of trustworthiness, indicated that a user’s identity had been verified by Twitter, making it easier to identify fake accounts and misinformation. This verification was typically reserved for politicians, celebrities, journalists, and media organizations. Many Twitter users opposed the changes, fearing that the new system would promote the spread of fake news and misinformation. Twitter had to postpone the initial launch of Twitter Blue in November 2022 due to an influx of impersonation accounts, but the service was reintroduced in December after modifications.

In November 2022, Twitter had to halt the initial launch of Twitter Blue due to a surge of impersonation accounts. However, the service was reintroduced in December with modifications. On Thursday, the removal of verification badges for non-paying users caused similar chaos, resulting in the reappearance of impersonation accounts for public figures like Jeff Bezos. In one instance, a fake account claimed that the billionaire was “officially shutting down Amazon.

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