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Some VIP Twitter users woke up Saturday hoping to find that their coveted blue verification check points were lost in a previously announced purge by Elon Musk. Instead, Twitter appeared to target a prominent account The publication dislikes Musk and has changed the language on its site in a way that makes it unclear why users are verified.
Twitter had said it would “begin to phase out” blue checks given out under its old verification system on April 1 — with an emphasis on protecting high-profile users at risk of impersonation. To remain verified, Musk said, users must pay $8 per month to join the platform’s Twitter Blue subscription service, which allowed Accounts will have to pay for verification from December.
Most old blue check holders discovered this weekend that their verification marks have not disappeared, Rather it was added with a new label: “This account is verified because it has subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account.” The language appears when users click the check mark, making it unclear whether the verified accounts are actually notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue.
But one high-profile account lost its blue check over the weekend: the main account of the New York Times, which previously told CNN it would not pay for verification.
An account frequently associated with Musk posted a meme this weekend about the Times refusing to pay for verification, prompting Musk to respond. do Saying, “Oh okay, we’ll take it off then.” Musk then lashed out at the Times — the latest example of the billionaire criticizing journalists or media outlets. tweets Claims were made that the outlet’s coverage was boring and “propaganda”.
The weekend move is the latest example of Twitter creating confusion and lashing out at users over feature changes — and in this case, not just any user, but many of the most high-profile accounts that have long been a major selling point for the platform. It also highlights how Musk often appears to make decisions about the platform based on his whims rather than policy.
Although the blue check of the New York Times’ main account was lost, its other accounts, such as the content of its art, travel, and books, remained verified. (It’s unclear why The New York Times does not have a gold “organization” check mark, like the accounts of other news outlets, including the Associated Press and The Washington Post.) After its blue check was removed, a New York Times spokesperson reiterated to CNN that it does not plan to pay for verification.
Twitter, which laid off most of its public relations staff last fall, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a separate surprise move, Twitter’s blue bird logo at the top of the site was replaced with Doge on Monday, representing the meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin, which Musk has promoted. The price of Dogecoin increased by 20% on Monday.
Musk has been threatening to take away the “legacy” blue check marks from verified users under Twitter’s old system soon after he bought Twitter last fall.
In early November, Twitter launched the option to receive a Blue Check for people who pay for its Twitter Blue subscription service. The program was quickly halted and relaunched in December after being plagued by a wave of celebrity and corporate impersonators.
Twitter also introduced a color-coded verification system with different colored marks for companies and government entities, but Musk continued to say that individual users would eventually have to pay for the blue checks.
This was not the case in the days before the Blue Check Purge. Prominent users such as actor William Shatner and anti-bullying activist Monica Lewinsky opposed the idea that, as powerful users who command attention on the site, they should have to pay for a feature that protects them from impersonation.
By obscuring the reason for verification of accounts, the new label could risk making it easier for people to commit fraud or impersonate high-profile users. Experts on inauthentic behavior have also said it is not clear that reserving verification for paid users would reduce the number of bots on the site, an issue Musk has repeatedly raised over the past year.
Musk, for his part, has previously presented the change to Twitter’s verification system as a way to “treat everyone equally.”
“There should be no different standards for celebrities,” he said in a tweet last week. The paid feature could also boost revenue, which could help Musk, who is burdened with significant debt after buying Twitter for $44 billion.
Musk also said last week that starting April 15, only verified accounts will be recommended in users’ “For You” feed along with the accounts they follow.
—CNN’s Oliver Darcy contributed to this report.
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