Musk’s Twitter pledge to remove verified accounts instead targets the New York Times

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Recently, some VIP Twitter users faced uncertainty regarding the blue verification check marks on their accounts. Elon Musk announced a purge, but instead of a widespread removal, Twitter seemed to single out an account from a major publication disliked by Musk. Moreover, Twitter updated the language on its site, making it challenging to discern why users are verified.

Under the old verification system, Twitter planned to phase out blue checks which were focused on safeguarding high-profile users at risk of impersonation. To retain verification, Musk indicated that users would need to pay $8 monthly to subscribe to Twitter Blue, a service enabling accounts to pay for verification since December.

Over the weekend, most legacy blue check holders discovered that their verification marks hadn’t vanished but had a new label indicating their tie to Twitter Blue or being a legacy verified account. This change obscured whether verified accounts were notable individuals or users who paid for verification.

While several accounts retained their blue check marks, the New York Times main account lost its verification after expressing unwillingness to pay for it. After Musk saw a meme regarding the Times rejecting verification payment, he removed its blue check and criticized the outlet, continuing his history of denouncing journalists and media organizations.

This sequence of events showcased Twitter’s tendency to unsettle users with feature modifications, especially high-profile accounts known to be a draw for the platform. It also highlighted Musk’s influence on platform decisions based more on whims than policies.

In a peculiar move, Twitter altered its blue bird logo with the doge meme on Monday, symbolizing the cryptocurrency dogecoin, which Musk supports. Interestingly, the price of dogecoin surged by 20% that day.

Musk had threatened to remove “legacy” blue check marks from users verified under Twitter’s old system since acquiring it last fall. Twitter had previously launched a program enabling Twitter Blue subscribers to obtain blue checks, albeit briefly paused due to impersonation issues before a December relaunch.

Despite these changes, the premise of charging individual users for blue checks persisted, with prominent users like William Shatner and Monica Lewinksy opposing the notion, arguing they shouldn’t have to pay for a safety feature.

The updated verification label, while intended to treat everyone equally, risks increasing scams and impersonations towards high-profile users. Musk sees these changes, including revenue generation from paid features, as essential, considering his significant debt post the $44 billion Twitter purchase.

From April 15, only verified accounts will be recommended in users’ “For You” feed, aligning with Musk’s push for verification equity. As experts question the effectiveness of paid verification in reducing bots, Musk’s emphasis remains on ensuring fairness across the platform.

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