Twitter has removed the legacy verified blue ticks from all accounts as of April 20, with only those subscribed to the paid Twitter Blue verification service receiving blue ticks on the micro-blogging platform.
The company had announced plans to remove the legacy blue ticks on April 1, but initially only select accounts were affected. After the legacy blue checks disappeared, some users announced their intention to leave the site.
Numerous high-profile accounts, including Pope Francis, Bill Gates, former US president Donald Trump, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Taylor Swift, Ellen DeGeneres, and Britney Spears, lost their blue verification checkmark.
However, Barack Obama, who has the most followers after Elon Musk with 132.8 million, retained his blue tick due to his account being affiliated with the Barack and Michelle Obama office.
Before Elon Musk took over as Twitter owner last November, the coveted blue checkmark was reserved for verified accounts of politicians, famous personalities, journalists, and other public figures.
But a paid monthly subscription model, open to all, was rolled out. The change is expected to result in more people subscribing to Twitter Blue, which will increase revenue for the platform. However, the change threatens the platform’s global ‘town square’ credentials, as it creates a greater risk of impersonation of important users and undermines the veracity of information on the platform.
Post Your Comments