Twitter Purge Exposed: Elon Musk's Half-Baked Plan
In a move that was supposed to be part of a grand overhaul, Twitter boss Elon Musk decided to scrap the blue check mark purge that had been widely expected. Instead of targeting verified users en masse, Musk and his team decided to single out one prominent account – The New York Times.
The decision has left many in the tech world bewildered, with some questioning whether Musk's motivations were genuinely about "treating everyone equally" or simply a way to line his own pockets. After all, verifying accounts is a premium feature that comes at an $8 monthly fee for users who pay for Twitter Blue.
What started as a supposedly fair plan to phase out legacy blue checks has now taken on a life of its own. Users like William Shatner and Monica Lewinksy had been vocal about their opposition to the idea, pointing out that it would unfairly target high-profile users who rely on the platform for their work.
The new label added to verified accounts – "This account is verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account" – has also raised eyebrows. It's a watered-down excuse for why some users are verified while others aren't, leaving many wondering if Musk's plan was ever about authenticity in the first place.
The move has sparked concerns that this new labeling system could make it easier for scammers and bots to impersonate verified users. Experts have also warned that reserving verification for paid users won't necessarily reduce the number of bots on the platform, an issue Musk has struggled with since taking over Twitter last year.
Musk's decision is a prime example of his penchant for whimsy-driven decisions rather than solid policy-making. By targeting The New York Times in this way, he's once again raised questions about his commitment to fairness and equality – both of which appear to be secondary concerns to his bottom line.
In a move that was supposed to be part of a grand overhaul, Twitter boss Elon Musk decided to scrap the blue check mark purge that had been widely expected. Instead of targeting verified users en masse, Musk and his team decided to single out one prominent account – The New York Times.
The decision has left many in the tech world bewildered, with some questioning whether Musk's motivations were genuinely about "treating everyone equally" or simply a way to line his own pockets. After all, verifying accounts is a premium feature that comes at an $8 monthly fee for users who pay for Twitter Blue.
What started as a supposedly fair plan to phase out legacy blue checks has now taken on a life of its own. Users like William Shatner and Monica Lewinksy had been vocal about their opposition to the idea, pointing out that it would unfairly target high-profile users who rely on the platform for their work.
The new label added to verified accounts – "This account is verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account" – has also raised eyebrows. It's a watered-down excuse for why some users are verified while others aren't, leaving many wondering if Musk's plan was ever about authenticity in the first place.
The move has sparked concerns that this new labeling system could make it easier for scammers and bots to impersonate verified users. Experts have also warned that reserving verification for paid users won't necessarily reduce the number of bots on the platform, an issue Musk has struggled with since taking over Twitter last year.
Musk's decision is a prime example of his penchant for whimsy-driven decisions rather than solid policy-making. By targeting The New York Times in this way, he's once again raised questions about his commitment to fairness and equality – both of which appear to be secondary concerns to his bottom line.
. I mean, come on, you're basically admitting that Twitter Blue is just a money grab 
. And now, the label they added makes zero sense... "This account is verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account" 
sounds like a bunch of corporate jargon trying to justify their shady move 
.
. And what really gets me is how The New York Times got chosen as the test subject 
. Who's that supposed to appease? The media conglomerate just wants to get back in Musk's good books 
. It's all so confusing and unfair 
. Can we please just have some real policy-making instead of this whimsical nonsense 
I mean, what was going through Musk's mind? Verifying accounts is supposed to be about authenticity, not a revenue stream for Twitter Blue users 
. I'm starting to think that Elon Musk's priorities are all about his own interests rather than what's good for the platform or its users 
it feels like he's making things up as he goes along and it's hard not to think he's just trying to line his own pockets 
. i'm all for treating everyone equal, but when it comes to verification, you gotta draw a line somewhere 
. this whole thing is just a mess 
. I'm worried that scammers could use it to their advantage and that reserving verification for paid users might not solve the bot problem after all 
and now it's like only paying users are getting verified idk about this new label thingy either... how is it supposed to stop scammers from impersonating legit accounts? 
and btw why The New York Times tho? what's up with that? 
Not exactly the kind of transparency we need in social media.