Twitter officially announced that all verified legacy checkmarks had been removed from the platform. This means that users previously given a blue checkmark for being notable in the public eye, such as celebrities, public figures, journalists, and influencers, no longer having a special designation on the platform.
Twitter initially announced this change, stating that all legacy verified accounts would be removed on April 20. To receive a checkmark on their performance, users must subscribe to Twitter Blue, which costs $8 per month. However, it’s important to note that Twitter Blue does not verify someone’s identity. Still, it provides a checkmark next to their name, along with additional features like editing tweets.
Although legacy verified accounts had lost their checkmarks, some companies and organizations now have a gold checkmark with a square profile picture to indicate them as official. Government officials have a grey checkmark next to their names, and government organizations have a square profile picture with a grey checkmark by their terms.
It’s worth mentioning that some legacy verified checkmarks might have been converted to Twitter Blue checkmarks. Stephen King, the author behind books like It, Carrie, and The Shining, has tweeted that his account says he subscribes to Twitter Blue and has given them his phone number, even though he claims he hasn’t done either.
Now that legacy checkmarks have been removed; it’s easier than ever for someone to impersonate notable figures such as celebrities, journalists, or even leaders if they subscribe to Twitter Blue. As we’ve seen before, this can lead to issues like the impersonation of people like Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Nintendo. This caused Twitter to suspend all accounts engaging in this behavior and temporarily suspend Twitter Blue.
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