NOS News•
Twitter has started removing blue checkmarks for verified users. This ends the free option for, for example, politicians, journalists, athletes and companies to obtain the authenticity seal. Such a blue check mark is only possible against payment.
The American company had already set April 20 as a target date for the implementation of the plan. But due to delays and complications, it was unclear whether the free blue ticks would really disappear, writes news website The Verge.
So that turned out to be the case. It is unclear how many of the approximately 300,000 verified users have now lost their check. In any case, Donald Trump, Beyonce and Pope Francis no longer have him. Twitter boss Elon Musk still has it himself.
Corrupt
Director Musk has not hidden his dissatisfaction with the old verification system. He called it ‘bullshit‘ and ‘corrupt’. That’s why the billionaire initially decided last year that everyone could get a blue check for a fee. That led to chaos on the social media platform.
Countless people pretended to be famous people or brands and made bizarre statements on Twitter. The platform has intervened against this. Subsequently, Musk announced that there would also be gold and gray check marks. But reform of the verification system was delayed.
Criticism of old system
The blue ticks were introduced on Twitter about fourteen years ago. This was done because of criticism of the many fake accounts that pretended to be an influential politician or well-known movie star.
Over the years, the system has proven to be far from perfect. Attribution of the check mark was arbitrary: not all public persons were verified, and the rules were vague.
In the new system, it costs a person about $8 a month for a blue tick. It will cost more for companies. Twitter will not check the authenticity of these accounts, the AP news agency writes.
