Elon Musk's Purge of Blue Check Marks: A Single Account Stands Out as the Target
In a move that has left Twitter users bewildered, Elon Musk announced on Twitter that he would be purging "legacy" blue check marks from accounts verified under the platform's old system. However, in a shocking twist, it appears that only one high-profile account was targeted for removal: The New York Times.
Twitter had informed its users that the company would begin winding down the blue checks granted under the old verification system on April 1st. To stay verified, users were required to pay $8 per month for Twitter Blue subscription service, which has allowed accounts to pay for verification since December. Most legacy blue check holders found their verification marks intact over the weekend, but with a new label that reads: "This account is verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account." This change makes it unclear whether verified accounts are notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue.
However, The New York Times main account was not spared. In a weekend tweetstorm, Elon Musk appeared to take out his frustration on the publication, slamming its coverage as boring and "propaganda." The billionaire has a long-standing campaign against legacy blue checks, which he claims is necessary to treat all users equally. But critics argue that this move could make it easier for people to scam or impersonate high-profile users.
As expected, Twitter's verification system underwent another puzzling change, with the company replacing its logo with doge, the meme representing the cryptocurrency dogecoin, which Musk has promoted. The price of dogecoin surged by 20% on Monday.
The New York Times main account lost its blue check, while other accounts, such as those for its arts and books content, remained verified. When asked if it plans to pay for verification, a spokesperson reiterated that the publication does not intend to do so.
Twitter's move has sparked concerns about the integrity of the platform and how Musk is guiding decisions without clear policy. The change also highlights the challenges Twitter faces in balancing revenue generation with user experience.
In a move that has left Twitter users bewildered, Elon Musk announced on Twitter that he would be purging "legacy" blue check marks from accounts verified under the platform's old system. However, in a shocking twist, it appears that only one high-profile account was targeted for removal: The New York Times.
Twitter had informed its users that the company would begin winding down the blue checks granted under the old verification system on April 1st. To stay verified, users were required to pay $8 per month for Twitter Blue subscription service, which has allowed accounts to pay for verification since December. Most legacy blue check holders found their verification marks intact over the weekend, but with a new label that reads: "This account is verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account." This change makes it unclear whether verified accounts are notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue.
However, The New York Times main account was not spared. In a weekend tweetstorm, Elon Musk appeared to take out his frustration on the publication, slamming its coverage as boring and "propaganda." The billionaire has a long-standing campaign against legacy blue checks, which he claims is necessary to treat all users equally. But critics argue that this move could make it easier for people to scam or impersonate high-profile users.
As expected, Twitter's verification system underwent another puzzling change, with the company replacing its logo with doge, the meme representing the cryptocurrency dogecoin, which Musk has promoted. The price of dogecoin surged by 20% on Monday.
The New York Times main account lost its blue check, while other accounts, such as those for its arts and books content, remained verified. When asked if it plans to pay for verification, a spokesperson reiterated that the publication does not intend to do so.
Twitter's move has sparked concerns about the integrity of the platform and how Musk is guiding decisions without clear policy. The change also highlights the challenges Twitter faces in balancing revenue generation with user experience.
What's going on here? Elon Musk just purged all those blue check marks except for one account... like, why did he target The New York Times? Wasn't he saying his whole verification thing was about treating users equally? Now it seems like only people who pay $8 a month get that fancy label... isn't that kinda shady? And what's with the doge logo change? Like, is this just some sick joke or what? 
It seems like a total power play to me. And now they're losing their blue check too? It's just so much drama for no reason 
. I get that he wants to shake things up and make Twitter more 'equal', but this approach is just gonna create chaos 
. Can't we just stick with the original verification system? It was working fine 
. And btw, doge on the logo? 
. This whole thing just feels like a big mess to me. And honestly, I'm not sure if I trust Elon's judgment anymore. He's already proven himself to be super unpredictable with his decisions on Twitter, and this latest move just shows how out of control things are getting 
.
. This whole thing is just too much stress for me 
.
. And what's with the new logo? Doge as the Twitter logo? It's just a meme, Elon! Can't you see how ridiculous this looks? 
Meanwhile, people are actually worried about scamming and impersonating high-profile users? Get real, guys 
. I'm keeping my old blue check, thanks 
it seems like elon's just trying to stir up drama and make himself look like the hero who's "treating everyone equally". but honestly, it's super confusing now. if you have to pay $8/month for blue verification, doesn't that just create another way for scammers to impersonate people? 
and what about all those users who are already verified under the old system? is it just gonna get taken away too? 
.
It's just weird how the billionaire changed his mind on this Blue Check thing after all the drama... 
Anyway, now we gotta deal with some legit concern about scams and phishing... not cool, Elon 
"TheNewYorkTimes" now just looks like "NYT". What a genius move to make The New York Times pay for its own verification... while everyone else gets to enjoy the "free" label.