Elon Musk's Twitter Purge: A Confusing Conundrum for Verification Holders
In a shocking turn of events, Twitter's long-awaited purge of blue check marks has left many users confused and frustrated. The highly anticipated change was supposed to kick in on April 1, with verified accounts required to pay $8 per month to maintain their coveted verification status.
Instead, the platform surprised most legacy blue check holders by appending a new label to their account, stating that they are "verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account." This subtle change makes it unclear whether verified accounts are actually notable individuals or simply users who have paid for verification.
However, one high-profile account did lose its blue check over the weekend: the main account for The New York Times. According to CNN, Musk responded with a tweet saying, "Oh ok, we'll take it off then." This move was likely due to the fact that The New York Times had previously stated it would not pay for verification.
Musk's actions have sparked concerns that the new verification system is more about revenue generation than protecting high-profile users from impersonation. Critics argue that this approach could make it easier for scammers and bots to target verified accounts, undermining the purpose of the verification process.
The situation has further been complicated by a series of bizarre changes on Twitter's platform. The blue bird logo at the top of the site was replaced with doge, the meme representing the cryptocurrency dogecoin, which Musk has promoted. This move sent the price of dogecoin surging 20% on Monday.
Twitter's handling of verification is not new, as Musk has been threatening to take away "legacy" blue check marks since shortly after he bought Twitter last fall. The platform had previously introduced a paid feature for verified accounts, but it was quickly put on pause due to issues with impersonation.
Musk claims that the changes are part of his efforts to "treat everyone equally," but critics argue that this approach is biased towards those who can afford to pay for verification. By reserving blue checks exclusively for paid users, Musk may be generating revenue and furthering his own interests at the expense of legitimate verified accounts.
As experts warn, the new verification system risks creating confusion and making it easier for scammers to target high-profile users. The situation highlights Twitter's ongoing struggles with inauthentic behavior and the need for a clear and transparent verification process.
In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for The New York Times reiterated that it does not plan to pay for verification, citing concerns about the integrity of the verification system. As Musk continues to shape Twitter's direction, one thing is clear: the platform's users are left in a state of confusion and uncertainty, wondering what lies ahead for their cherished blue checks.
In a shocking turn of events, Twitter's long-awaited purge of blue check marks has left many users confused and frustrated. The highly anticipated change was supposed to kick in on April 1, with verified accounts required to pay $8 per month to maintain their coveted verification status.
Instead, the platform surprised most legacy blue check holders by appending a new label to their account, stating that they are "verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account." This subtle change makes it unclear whether verified accounts are actually notable individuals or simply users who have paid for verification.
However, one high-profile account did lose its blue check over the weekend: the main account for The New York Times. According to CNN, Musk responded with a tweet saying, "Oh ok, we'll take it off then." This move was likely due to the fact that The New York Times had previously stated it would not pay for verification.
Musk's actions have sparked concerns that the new verification system is more about revenue generation than protecting high-profile users from impersonation. Critics argue that this approach could make it easier for scammers and bots to target verified accounts, undermining the purpose of the verification process.
The situation has further been complicated by a series of bizarre changes on Twitter's platform. The blue bird logo at the top of the site was replaced with doge, the meme representing the cryptocurrency dogecoin, which Musk has promoted. This move sent the price of dogecoin surging 20% on Monday.
Twitter's handling of verification is not new, as Musk has been threatening to take away "legacy" blue check marks since shortly after he bought Twitter last fall. The platform had previously introduced a paid feature for verified accounts, but it was quickly put on pause due to issues with impersonation.
Musk claims that the changes are part of his efforts to "treat everyone equally," but critics argue that this approach is biased towards those who can afford to pay for verification. By reserving blue checks exclusively for paid users, Musk may be generating revenue and furthering his own interests at the expense of legitimate verified accounts.
As experts warn, the new verification system risks creating confusion and making it easier for scammers to target high-profile users. The situation highlights Twitter's ongoing struggles with inauthentic behavior and the need for a clear and transparent verification process.
In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for The New York Times reiterated that it does not plan to pay for verification, citing concerns about the integrity of the verification system. As Musk continues to shape Twitter's direction, one thing is clear: the platform's users are left in a state of confusion and uncertainty, wondering what lies ahead for their cherished blue checks.
. Elon Musk's latest move on Twitter has left me super confused 
. I mean, who thought it was a good idea to make verified accounts pay $8/month just to keep their check mark? It's like, if someone's already notable, do they really need to pay for it? 
And now the label says you're "verified because you paid" - it's so vague 
. I'm worried about scammers and bots trying to impersonate legit users now 
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I'm not sure if Musk is being clever or just plain crazy, but one thing's for sure - this whole verification debacle has me questioning everything 
...
The changes are so confusing now 
This whole thing is just a mess and it's gonna be super hard for legit users like The New York Times who don't wanna shell out $8/month 
Can't these changes just get simplified back down to something that makes sense? 
It's like, if someone's verified on Twitter, shouldn't they be trusted a bit more? 
And now this doge thing... who thought that was a good idea? 
anyway it sounds like Elon's all about that dough 
, and what's with the weird labels? "verified because it's subscribed or legacy verified account"? sounds like Musk's trying to create some sort of confusing cat video 
for us poor souls who just want our trusty old blue checks back 
and btw 20% surge in dogecoin prices? that's like a meme-fueled moon landing 
so yeah i feel bad for the ny times account they must be like totally confused now...i think elon musk is trying to make money off of twitter blue instead of actually protecting users from scammers idk what's next gonna have to keep an eye on this for sure 
... now it feels like you have to shell out some serious cash to keep that little checkmark on your profile. And what's with all these changes? It's like they're trying to confuse us on purpose 
my fave news site just lost its blue check and now they're all worried 
i mean, on 1 hand u gotta respect the guy's ambition & willingness to shake things up but on the other hand, this new verification system is straight up confusing 
. If anyone can be verified for a price, who's next? What's the value of having a blue check when it could just be bought or sold like a commodity? 
not sure if that's due to the purge or just because people r bored of the drama 
i mean i get that musk wants to generate revenue but can't he find a way to do that without messing up the whole system? 