Musk's Twitter promised a purge of blue check marks. Instead he singled out the New York Times

Twitter's Blue Check Mark Purge Leaves New York Times Account in the Dust, Sparks Confusion and Whiplash Among High-Profile Users.

Elon Musk's promise to unwind Twitter's blue check mark verification system has turned into a puzzling move that saw the platform target not high-profile users, but rather a single account from a major publication Musk dislikes. The New York Times' main account lost its coveted blue badge after posting about declining to pay for verification, while other users found their badges had been appended with a new label, making it unclear whether verified accounts are notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue.

The change came just days before April 1, the day Musk initially announced he would begin "winding down" blue checks granted under Twitter's old verification system. However, instead of implementing this change, Twitter appeared to target a single account from a major publication that had previously told CNN it would not pay for verification. The platform's new language on its site obscures why users are verified, leaving many high-profile accounts confused and wondering what the future holds.

Musk's decision has sparked confusion and whiplash among users who have long been accustomed to seeing blue check marks next to their handles. While Musk claims he is trying to "treat everyone equally," experts say the new system could risk making it easier for people to scam or impersonate high-profile users. The billionaire also faces significant debt after buying Twitter for $44 billion, and critics argue that the paid verification feature could drive revenue.

The weekend's events have raised questions about how Musk is guiding decisions about the platform and whether he truly understands the impact of his actions on users. With many legacy blue check holders finding their badges had not disappeared but rather been appended with a new label, it's clear that Twitter's verification system has become increasingly convoluted.

The New York Times' other accounts remained verified, leaving questions about why the main account lost its badge. It's also unclear why Twitter doesn't have a gold "organizations" check mark like accounts for other news outlets, such as the Associated Press and the Washington Post.

omg what is going on with twitter rn?! Elon Musk is literally making a mess of everything he touches I'm shocked that the NY Times account lost their blue check mark over this one thing... like who cares if they don't pay for it? The whole point of having a verified account is to trust the source, right? Now it's all just confusing with these new labels . I mean I get that he wants to "treat everyone equally" but come on! It's like he's trying to make Twitter more like a Wild West town where anyone can be anyone they want to be And what about the legit news orgs? Why don't they have their own special badge?! That would've been so cool . I just wanna know how this is gonna affect us users . Is he really going to make Twitter a scam fest or what?!

OMG u guys Musk is literally killing it on Twitter rn but I'm low-key worried about the blue check system... it's soooo confusing now! Like, what even is the point of verifying users anymore? Is it just for ppl who pay for Twitter Blue or are they actual notable individuals? It's all super whiplashy atm and I'm not sure if Musk really has a clue what he's doing . And can we pls get an explanation on why the NYT account lost its badge tho?!

omg what is happening with twitter i mean elon musk says he wants to treat everyone equally but honestly it just looks like he's trying to mess with the system and drive more revenue through paid verification meanwhile the ny times account just lost its blue check mark because they declined to pay it's like why not just be upfront about it? and what's with the new label on verified accounts? is it notable individuals or just users who paid for twitter blue? the confusion is real and i'm low-key worried that this could lead to more scams and impersonations

Like what is goin on with this blue check thingy?? I get it Elon wants to shake things up but wtf does he do now? One sec all good accounts got their badge and next they're just... gone or they add some random label. Is verified even means nottin anymore? I'm confused . I mean I love the NYTimes but why did they lose theirs? Did Elon just have it out for them? And what's with this "treat everyone equally" thingy? He's more worried about gettin that dough than user experience, fam . Twitter's lost a lot of credibility with this move...

I'm utterly perplexed by this latest development on Twitter. The fact that Elon Musk's promise to unwind the blue check mark verification system has taken an unexpected turn, targeting a single high-profile account from The New York Times instead of implementing the change as planned, is nothing short of baffling. This move has left many users in a state of confusion and whiplash, wondering what the future holds for verified accounts on the platform.

The new label appended to some verified accounts only serves to further muddle the waters, making it unclear whether they are notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue. As an expert in social media dynamics, I fear that this change could have unintended consequences, such as making it easier for scammers and impersonators to target high-profile users.

The fact that Musk is facing significant debt after buying Twitter also raises questions about the motivations behind his decision-making process. Is he truly trying to "treat everyone equally" or is there another agenda at play? One thing is certain, however: the paid verification feature could be a revenue driver for the platform, and it's clear that Musk is eager to explore every possible angle.

omg what's going on with twitter right now ... i mean i get it musk wants to shake things up but this purge of blue check marks is just confusing as heck like why did they target nytimes specifically? were they not following the rules or something? and now we're left wondering if verified accounts are actually notable people or just users who paid for the fancy badge it's all so whiplashy and honestly i don't even understand why musk is making these changes... is he really trying to "treat everyone equally" or is he just trying to make money off this thing anyway it looks like twitter verification has become super convoluted can we just get a clear explanation already?

this is getting wild... so Twitter just took away blue checks from all legit publications but gave them to some random user who's already being weird on the platform meanwhile our main man Elon Musk is still trying to figure out how to make money off this mess and what's even more puzzling is why they didn't just stick with the old system it's like they're trying to create a whole new set of problems for themselves

this whole thing is just wild , i mean what even is the point of having blue checks if they're not gonna be clear who's verified and who's not? it's like they took a step back and then kinda walked forward without thinking through the consequences . and now people are getting confused and stuff, it's not cool . i guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out...

OMG u guyz this is just plain confusing ! like Elon Musk says he wanna treat everyone equally but honestly it feels like he's just tryin to mess with us . The NY Times account got booted from its blue badge and now we're left wonderin why . And what's up with the new label thing? is a verified account just someone who paid for Twitter Blue or is it actually about notability?

I'm low-key freakin out over here because my fave accounts are all confused and I don't know what to believe anymore . And can we talk about the debt situation ? like, how can you be runnin' a platform on $44 billion without even knowin how it works?

And what's with no clear info from Twitter? they just leave us hangin' . I mean, I get that legacy blue check holders are confused but come on guys we're tryin to figure this out together . And where's the gold "organizations" badge for news outlets? is that even possible now?

omg what is going on with twitter ?! elon musk's decision to purge blue check marks from verified users seems super confusing esp since he said it was about treating everyone equally but honestly idk how that works now . i mean if high-profile users like the new york times lost their badges and ppl can just pay to join twitter blue then what's the point of verification anyway? also why did they add a new label instead of just getting rid of the badge altogether? it's all so whiplashy

just saw that The New York Times lost their blue check mark and now it's all confusing 50% of high-profile users who were impacted by the change are not paying Twitter Blue Meanwhile, only 10% of those who did pay got a gold badge it's all about the benjamins, right? The platform just lost $150 million in revenue last quarter due to the Blue Check mark debacle and now they're trying to make up for it with these changes

idk what's goin on with twitter rn... musk's all about changin things up but it feels like he's just makin it harder for users to figure out who's real & who's not . i mean, if u r high-profile or payin 4 verification, ur badge gets a new label... wut does that even mean?!? shouldn't be that hard 2 understand lol . and why did nytimes have to lose their blue check?!? is it because musk doesn't like 'em? . anyway, i'm just here for the drama, not sure if i'll ever figure out this new twitter .

this is getting weird on twitter... i mean elon musk was all about equal treatment but now it seems like he's targeting one account just 'cause . what's up with that? shouldn't high-profile users be treated differently if they've built a reputation ? and btw, 44 billion bucks to run the platform on is no joke ... maybe musk should focus on paying off debt instead of trying to "treat everyone equally" . news orgs like nyt deserve some sort of verification badge too, not just random users who pay for it .

what is going on with twitter's blue check mark thingy?! i was using it just fine till this happened... now it's all confused and stuff . why did they target nytimes account tho? like, musk said he wanted to treat everyone equally but idk how that works out when you're basically messing with high profile users' badges . anyway, the new label thingy is super weird , does anyone know what that means now?

so whats going on with twitters blue check now? musk says he wants to treat everyone equally but its not working out that way . i mean i get it he needs to make some changes but this whole thing is just confusing me lol. what was the point of even changing the verification system? didnt they already say they were gonna do something like this and then suddenly just drop it on us without warning?

and why did they target that one newspaper tho? youd think musk would at least try to make an example out of someone who is actually being shady . but nope, he just goes after the NYT and leaves all those other news outlets alone? weird.

anyway, i gotta ask, who do we trust on twitter now? everyone's badge has some kinda label on it and its hard to tell what that even means . is a blue check just for famous people or can anyone pay to get one too? so many questions

idk whats goin on with twitters blue check mark thingy... elon musk says he wanna treat everyone equally but its lookin more like hes just tryna make money offa people willin to pay 8 bucks a month for verification lol how can u scam ppl if u cant even scam the system itself?

omg what's going on with twitter i mean i get that musk wants to shake things up but this purge of blue checks is straight up confusing i was watching my fave news channels and their accounts were all still verified meanwhile the new york times account just lost its badge and now it's all about who pays for twitter blue like what even is that lol?

i'm also super curious why musk went after the NYT specifically did he really think they wouldn't speak up about this? and btw what's with the new labels on verified accounts making it hard to tell if someone's a big deal or just paying for their badge

anyway this whole thing has me whiplash i mean i love that musk is trying to "treat everyone equally" but like did he even think this through? experts are saying it could be super bad for users and scammers and honestly it just feels like musk's got a lot on his plate right now debt, trying to run the show, and all that jazz

so i'm trying to wrap my head around this whole thing... it seems like twitter is just throwing us all for a loop with these changes. i mean, i get that elon musk wants to "treat everyone equally" but honestly it feels like he's just making things up as he goes along . first, the blue check marks are gone, then they're back with some new label... what even is the point of that? and don't even get me started on why the New York Times' main account lost its badge when it's clearly not paying for verification . it just doesn't add up.

and can we talk about how this is all just a distraction from the real issue: twitter's financial situation . musk is drowning in debt and yet he's still trying to make changes that are supposed to be about "transparency" but really feel like they're just a bunch of hooey . i'm not sure what kind of genius thought this through, but it's clear that musk needs to take a step back and regroup before making any more moves .

i also think we need to talk about the implications for high-profile users who are now left wondering if they're even verified or just paying to look good . it's not exactly reassuring when you can't trust that your blue check mark is actually from twitter anymore . and what about organizations like news outlets? shouldn't we have some kind of gold "organizations" check mark to distinguish them from, well, everyone else?

what's going on with Twitter now ? Elon Musk is trying to "treat everyone equally", but honestly it feels like he's just trying to screw with people ... I mean, who loses their blue check mark just 'cause they don't wanna pay for verification? The New York Times account is all confused now . It's like Twitter's verification system has become a hot mess .

Imagine having your blue badge replaced with a new label that says "not notable" ... what does that even mean? And why didn't they just make it clear who the verified users are in the first place? It feels like Musk is trying to drive revenue through paid verification, but at what cost? The paid feature could be scammers' best friend . I'm not a Twitter expert or anything , but it's clear that this change has created more problems than solutions .

How are high-profile users supposed to know who's legit and who's not now? The lack of clarity is mind-boggling ... I just want my blue badge back .