NewsSpecng and Agency report
Twitter has commenced the implementation of pay for Blue ticks on verified account policy, NewsSpecng learnt.
The move started on Thursday, which has seen notable twitter users lose their blue tick besides their names.
Twityer latest policy is that anyone wishing to retain the check beside their name would have to cough out $84 (£67) a year.
The policy affects Celebrities, public figures and government organisations.
This has however given room for fear of fake twitter handles springing up.
There’s been jokes and mourning, with some celebrities who refused to pay for the service still being granted the status
Elon Musk admitted to “personally” paying for some celebrity verification, including for author Stephen King
There are fears over the spread of misinformation among Twitter’s 450 million monthly users as a result of the changes
Meanwhile, Twitter has also dropped the “government-funded Media” tag on some accounts
Blue ticks have long been the language used to communicate whether an account is who they say they are on Twitter.
But under Elon Musk’s new Twitter Blue policy, the ticks are no more – unless you’re willing to pay for one. That means we’ve all got to learn to speak a new language to figure out what’s real and false.
Trusted news accounts did have gold ticks, but even those have momentarily disappeared.
Other high-profile accounts – like Pope Francis – now have grey ticks; others are tick-less. It’s all a little bit confusing.
The risk is two-fold. It’s hard to distinguish the real account from others impersonating it. My own blue-tick has disappeared, so a fake Marianna Spring could spring up and – on first glance – a user could think it’s me.
Now you have to use other clues to spot who is who. Look at old tweets, their follower count – and whether their tweets are as you’d expect.
Then, some of the accounts that have bought blue ticks appear to be trolls or have a history of pushing disinformation. If you’re still fluent in blue-tick, you might be under the impression these accounts are trusted, and the posts they’re sharing are sanctioned.
The Pope, Beyoncé, Cristiano Ronaldo and official government accounts all lost their blue ticks. Some profiles, including the pontiff’s, have since been given grey ticks to identify them as official.
As the change happened, many formerly verified took to Twitter to joke about it, or mourn the loss.
US Olympian Lolo Jones noted she’s still verified where it counts: her dating profile. Actor and comedian Rick Gervais joked: “My blue tick has gone. I’m not sure if I’m really me or not.”
Other users noted the irony that actor Jason Sudeikis had lost his verification, while Ted Lasso, the fictional character he portrays, had not.
