New Delhi (21/04/2023): On Thursday, the microblogging platform Twitter removed the traditional verified blue ticks from all accounts. Only individual Twitter users who pay for Twitter Blue, which costs $8 per month via the web and $11 per month via in-app payment on iOS and Android, have verified blue checkmarks.
A number of B-town celebrities, including Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, as well as politicians Yogi Adityanath, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi, along with cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have lost their verified blue ticks from their Twitter accounts as a result of the recent development.
According to earlier announcements, Twitter would deactivate the verified checkmark status of accounts that were recognised as noteworthy before Elon Musk’s takeover unless they have a Twitter Blue or Twitter Verified Organisations subscription, according to Variety.
The blue tick was initially used as a safeguard against impersonation and to combat misinformation about famous people.
The blue tick mark system was first implemented by Twitter in 2009 to assist users in determining which accounts “of public interest” were legitimate and which were fake or parody accounts, including those of celebrities, politicians, businesses and brands, news organisations, and others. Prior to this, the company didn’t charge for verification.
