Legacy Twitter blue ticks remain amid confusion over verification


Twitter has failed to take legacy blue ticks off the social media platform after it committed to remove them on April 1. — AP

LONDON: Twitter has failed to take legacy blue ticks off the social media platform after it committed to remove them on April 1.

The business, led by billionaire owner Elon Musk, has also confused many people by making older verified users indistinguishable from those who have paid for the tick, or check mark.

It comes after Musk said last month that legacy verified Twitter users would see their blue ticks removed from the service unless they paid a monthly fee of US$8 to its Twitter Blue subscription operation.

Organisations would have to pay US$1,000 a month to receive a gold verification tick.

As a result, thousands of the platform’s high-profile users were braced to lose the ticks, which can help verify their identity and distinguish them from impostors.

But the legacy blue ticks have remained in place despite the expected removal on April 1.

Twitter has however removed the blue tick from the main account of the New York Times, the news organisation which has particularly angered Musk. The newspaper said it would not pay for verification.

“We aren’t planning to pay the monthly fee for check mark status for our institutional Twitter accounts,” the publication said in a statement on Sunday.

“We also will not reimburse reporters for Twitter Blue for personal accounts, except in rare instances where this status would be essential for reporting purposes.”

In response, Musk said he would therefore remove the check mark.

The Washington Post reported last week that efforts to remove legacy blue ticks could take a long time due to significant manual elements in the process.

Meanwhile, the social media platform has made it harder to distinguish between legacy check marks and those which have been paid for.

Some legacy verified Twitter accounts now have a description which reads: “This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account.”

Previously, these accounts had messages which read: “This is a legacy verified account. It may or may not be notable.” – AFP

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Tech News

Sirius XM found liable in New York lawsuit over subscription cancellations
US Supreme Court tosses case involving securities fraud suit against Facebook
Amazon doubles down on AI startup Anthropic with another $4 billion
Factbox-Who are bankrupt Northvolt's creditors?
UK should use new powers to probe Apple-Google mobile browser duopoly, report says
EU regulators scrap probe into Apple's e-book rules after complaint was withdrawn
Hyundai recalls over 145,000 electrified US vehicles on loss of drive power
'World of Warcraft' still going strong as it celebrates 20 years
Northvolt CEO steps down, saying group needs up to $1.2 billion
Bitcoin at record highs, sets sights on $100,000

Others Also Read