On April 20, Elon Musk decided to strip the legacy verification blue check marks of certain Twitter accounts that don't pay the monthly fee to keep them. Twitter's iconic blue check marks were said to symbolize internet clout but now have become a mark of shame for many celebrities.
The cost of keeping the check marks ranged from $8 for individual web users to $1000 to verify an organization. Of course, many prominent figures refused to pay the fee to keep their blue checks which caused checks to disappear from the accounts of celebrities, journalists, and academics.
However, professional athletes, celebrities, and other high-profile Twitter users recently noticed their blue checks back on their accounts. Many don't know why their blue check marks have reappeared nor do they seem very happy about it.
The Disappearance of the Blue Checks
The blue checks disappeared from some of the most widely-followed and well-known accounts like Beyonce, Pope Francis, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and Kim Kardashian.
Some government agencies, including the official account for US Citizenship and Immigration Services, also had their blue checks purged. The agency then tweeted, "Though we have lost our checkmark, this is the official USCIS Twitter account, please be aware of imposter accounts."
Many public-service accounts and non-profits also lost their blue checks which raised the concern that Twitter could lose its status as a platform that provides up-to-date information from authentic sources, including emergency messages.
Due to the disappearance of the blue checks, many impersonators thought that it was their time to shine. The official Twitter account of the New York City government tweeted, "This is an authentic Twitter account representing the New York City Government. This is the only account for @NYCGov run by New York City government."
However, a newly created spoof account with only 36 followers responded, "No, you're not. THIS account is the only authentic Twitter account representing and run by the New York City Government." Then a spoof account purporting to be Pope Francis added, "By the authority vested in me, Pope Francis, I declare @NYC_GOVERNMENT the official New York City Government. Peace be with you. "
According to Travis Brown, a developer of software for tracking social media, fewer than 5% of legacy verified accounts appear to have paid to maintain their blue checks.
Related Article: Twitter Blue Verification Badges Appear on Accounts of Deceased Celebrities
The Blue Checks Return
A few other celebrities like LeBron James, Stephen King, and William Shatner, still had their blue checks after the removal of blue checks. Elon Musk then tweets that he is personally paying for their blue checks, with all three publicly sparring with Musk over the program.
Bollywood celebrities like Shah Rukh Kahn, Alia Bhatt, and Virat Kohli also lost their blue checks during Twitter's purge. However, the blue ticks for the celebrities have returned and many assume that Musk is being extremely generous to them as well.
Other celebrities, like Charlie Sheen, Kara Swisher, Omar Abdullah, and Blue Krugman, tweeted that their blue check marks have returned. In return, Musk replied to their tweets with "You're Welcome."
Before Musk's new Twitter verification policy rolled out, only notable figures could get a blue check to ensure that nobody impersonated them on the platform. However, now, anyone with $8 can go ahead and purchase the blue check mark.
Only a few celebrities were able to get their blue check back. Meanwhile, many of the previously verified users now add "former blue check" to their profile description.
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