Elon Musk's promise of a Twitter purge has backfired, targeting just one prominent account in the process. Instead of ridding the platform of "legacy" blue check marks, as announced, it appears that only one major publication - The New York Times - lost its coveted verification mark.
Users were expecting to see their blue checks disappear on April 1, when Twitter plans to phase out the old verification system and introduce a new $8-per-month subscription service called Twitter Blue. However, the platform has opted for a more nuanced approach, appending a label that reads: "This account is verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account."
The confusing change makes it unclear whether verified accounts are notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join the platform. Critics argue that this move could increase the risk of impersonation and scamming, particularly for high-profile users.
The New York Times' main account was removed from its blue check mark after a Twitter user posted a meme about the paper declining to pay for verification, prompting Musk to jokingly remove it. However, other accounts associated with the publication remain verified.
Musk's motivations behind this change are unclear, but critics argue that it could drive revenue and create a "pay-to-play" system, where users who can afford it get preferential treatment over those who cannot. The billionaire has presented changes to Twitter's verification system as a way of "treating everyone equally," but experts warn that the new label could have unintended consequences.
The confusion highlights how Musk often guides decisions on the platform through whims rather than policy, leaving many users and experts alike trying to make sense of his changing priorities.
Users were expecting to see their blue checks disappear on April 1, when Twitter plans to phase out the old verification system and introduce a new $8-per-month subscription service called Twitter Blue. However, the platform has opted for a more nuanced approach, appending a label that reads: "This account is verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account."
The confusing change makes it unclear whether verified accounts are notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join the platform. Critics argue that this move could increase the risk of impersonation and scamming, particularly for high-profile users.
The New York Times' main account was removed from its blue check mark after a Twitter user posted a meme about the paper declining to pay for verification, prompting Musk to jokingly remove it. However, other accounts associated with the publication remain verified.
Musk's motivations behind this change are unclear, but critics argue that it could drive revenue and create a "pay-to-play" system, where users who can afford it get preferential treatment over those who cannot. The billionaire has presented changes to Twitter's verification system as a way of "treating everyone equally," but experts warn that the new label could have unintended consequences.
The confusion highlights how Musk often guides decisions on the platform through whims rather than policy, leaving many users and experts alike trying to make sense of his changing priorities.
What's up with this label thingy? I mean, I get why they wanna keep those legacy blue checks, but now it's all weird... Like, does a verified account just 'cause someone paid for it? 
It don't feel right, you know? And what about all the fake accounts trying to impersonate big names? This new label is like, totally confusing 
. I wonder if Musk was just messing with us again 
like he thought it would. Instead of making everyone equal with this new verification system, he made us wonder what even is the point now? 
If you're paying $8 a month to get your blue check back on, doesn't that just create a whole new problem? Like who gets to play with the cool kids now? 
. I mean, come on Elon, make up your mind already! 
This whole thing is just getting more confusing by the minute...
this is crazy! I'm not surprised though, Elon's been making some pretty wild changes to Twitter lately 
. It's like he thinks he's above the rules or something 
. Newsflash, dude: you can't just whimsically change things and expect everything to work out 
. The fact that only one major publication lost its blue check mark is super weird, what's going on with that? 
, that sounds like a recipe for disaster! Interesting 
how this all goes down, can't wait to see what happens next 
. Can we just stick to verified accounts being, well, notable individuals or journalists who deserve the blue check mark? 
and now everyone's just wondering who else lost their verification because they didn't have the cash. this whole thing just reeks of "i'm gonna mess with things till i feel like it" which isn't exactly the most reassuring vibe.
... first of all, why not just simplify things and make it clear what verification means? And what's with the label they added on? It's like, "Hey, we're not really sure what's going on here." 
. I guess only time will tell if Elon's "treat everyone equally" plan is just a PR stunt or if it actually works out 
.
. Not cool, Elon.
. And don't even get me started on the fact that only one major publication lost its blue check mark... like, why did they even remove The New York Times' verification in the first place? 
Was it really necessary to make a big deal out of it? 
... it just seems unfair to me 
. And can we please just get some real guidance from Elon on what he's trying to achieve here?