It’s taking place. Finally, Twitter is removing the coveted blue ticks from users who obtained them before they could be purchased for £8 a month.
The social media firm declared on Thursday that it would begin “winding down” its heritage verified programme and removing legacy verified checkmarks on April 1. The announcement was made on its official Twitter Verified account.
The news is not unexpected because Elon Musk announced one of the first changes after he paid $44 billion to acquire the business last year: replacing free blue ticks with paid ones.
In November, Musk unveiled a new paid Twitter Blue subscription that would come with a verified blue check mark.
Shortly after Twitter Blue was launched, Musk said that the company was removing the legacy verification checkmarks as far too many ‘corrupt’ ones existed.
The timing is a little suspicious as the removal of blue ticks is due to happen on April Fools Day, making people wonder if it could be an elaborate prank orchestrated by Musk.
Metro.co.co reached out to Twitter and promptly received a poop emoji in response.
Still, this is the man who allegedly wanted to sell Tesla stock at a price of $420 after discovering the number’s ‘significance in marijuana culture’.
Even in his Twitter takeover, he bid to pay $54.20 per share to buy the company.
The announcement follows a global rollout of Twitter Blue that comes with a blue ‘verified’ checkmark, 4,000-character tweets, higher-ranked replies and the ability to edit tweets.
Organizations could also apply to Twitter for grey checkmarks to denote government officials and organizations. Businesses can also apply for gold checkmarks.
Would you pay for a blue tick on Twitter?
- No, it’s meaningless now0%
- Don’t care, I don’t use Twitter0%
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To get this, applicants will have to submit a government ID or a valid email address, and have to describe their positions and functions.
Musk first hinted at the $8 price back in October, in response to author Stephen King, whose verified account has 6.9 million followers.
‘$20 a month to keep my blue check?’ tweeted King on Monday and included an expletive. ‘They should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron’. King said it ‘ain’t the money, it’s the principle of the thing’.
Musk early Tuesday replied: ‘[W]e need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?’