Musk’s Twitter Vow to Remove Verified Users Backfires, Targets New York Times
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Recently, Twitter made some changes to its verification system, causing confusion among users. The platform had initially announced a purge of blue check marks, but instead, it targeted a single account from a major publication disliked by Elon Musk. Furthermore, Twitter changed the verification language, making it unclear why users are verified.
Under the new system, blue check marks were not removed for most legacy users, but rather appended with a new label indicating their subscription to Twitter Blue or their status as a legacy verified account. This change raises questions about the authenticity of verified accounts and whether they are notable figures or simply users who have paid for verification.
While many accounts remained verified, one high-profile account, the main account for the New York Times, lost its blue check mark after refusing to pay for verification. Elon Musk, known for his outspoken nature, responded to a tweet criticizing the Times by saying, “Oh ok, we’ll take it off then” and proceeded to criticize the outlet and its coverage.
This recent event underscores Twitter’s tendency to create confusion and whiplash for users with its feature changes, particularly affecting high-profile accounts that have long been a crucial aspect of the platform’s appeal. Additionally, it highlights Musk’s influence over platform decisions, often making decisions based on his whims rather than policy.
Despite losing its blue check mark on the main account, the New York Times’ other accounts remained verified. It is unclear why the Times does not have a gold “organizations” check mark like other news outlets. The Times has reiterated its stance of not paying for verification.
We reached out to Twitter for comment but did not receive an immediate response. In another peculiar move, Twitter replaced its blue bird logo with the doge meme, representing the cryptocurrency dogecoin, which Musk has promoted. This change coincided with a 20% increase in dogecoin’s price.
Musk has been adamant about revoking “legacy” blue check marks since acquiring Twitter, and the platform introduced the option for Twitter Blue subscribers to receive blue checks. However, the program was paused initially due to impersonators and relaunched later. Musk has consistently stated that individual users would eventually have to pay for verification.
The recent changes to Twitter’s verification system may inadvertently make it easier for scammers and impersonators to exploit high-profile users. Experts in inauthentic behavior have also doubted that reserving verification for paid users would reduce the number of bots on the site, an issue Musk has raised in the past.
Musk has positioned the changes as a way of treating everyone equally, stating that there shouldn’t be a different standard for celebrities. The introduction of paid features could also generate revenue, which can be beneficial considering Musk’s substantial debt after acquiring Twitter.
Starting April 15, verified accounts will be the only ones recommended in users’ “For You” feeds alongside the accounts they follow, according to Musk.
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