Twitter has withdrawn its blue checkmark of verification from all legacy accounts on its platform, requesting money from users to get it back. According to the tech giant, individuals who wish to remain verified on Twitter can sign up for Twitter Blue, paying up to $114 per year.
Thousands of verified accounts on Twitter woke up Friday, April 22, 2023, to find that their blue checkmarks were gone. Twitter had earlier announced on its platform that it was removing verified checkmarks from all legacy accounts which could be restored for $8 a month, much to the displeasure of its users and accounts affected.
Read also: Twitter moves to remove verified blue-ticks of nonpaying subscribers
“There’s no verification about it, it’s just a desperate money grab to inflate Twitter’s revenue numbers to give off the impression that it’s been turned around.” @SeeReax on Twitter.
🤣 why is it even called verified anymore if it’s just a blue sticker you pay for. There’s no “verification” about it, it’s just a desperate money grab to inflate twitter’s revenue numbers to give off the impression that it’s been “turned around”.
— Deion | SeeReax (@SeeReax) April 19, 2023
Legacy accounts were accounts previously verified for their notability in the public eye. Such accounts were popular with celebrities, journalists, influencers, and public figures. If the badge belonged to a legacy verified account, it would read “This account is verified because it’s notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.” A subscription to Twitter Blue now awards a checkmark displaying “This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”
The Twitter Blue subscription remains unavailable to many Nigerians. Since the launch of Twitter Blue in the country last month, users who tried to subscribe to the premium plan from a mobile device get a prompt saying “We’re working to make Twitter Blue available in your country in the future. Please check back later.”
Despite making up 2.2 percent of Twitter users, Nigerians have resorted to using VPNs and foreign cards to obtain a subscription via mobile.
A subscription to Twitter Blue allows users to edit their tweets, view 50% fewer ads and write more, with the character limit extended from 280 words to 10,000. Subscribers are also able to upload longer videos, customise their page and profile layout, and up until recently, obtain a verification badge.
An overview of affected accounts reveals that Nigeria’s President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and other candidates in the 2023 presidential election who had been verified on Twitter for years lost their verification status. Nigerian businesses and media houses were not left out. Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, and Tony Elumelu joined the long list of prominent individuals affected by the verification purge.
For a Twitter Blue subscription, the platform charges up to ₦53,000 a year and ₦5,000 a month for iOS and Android devices in Nigeria with a 27% discount on web logins. Businesses looking for prominence also subscribe to the Twitter Verified Organisations service receiving a gold checkmark.
Some users of the platform believe the entire point of the checkmark is lost if it has to be paid for.
“Being verified used to be a symbol of trust so users were reassured that what they were reading was true from valid organizations and individuals. Now, being verified means you’re willing to pay for a symbol that has no value.” @michaellore on Twitter.
Being "verified" used to be a symbol of trust so users were reassured what they were reading was true from valid organizations and individuals. Now, being "verified" means you're willing to pay monthly for a symbol that has no value.
— Michael LoRé (@michaellore) April 19, 2023
With a platform like Twitter, infamous for widespread misinformation, some believe the checkmark-for-money move by Elon Musk would further push the platform into an information quagmire and blur the lines between fact and fiction, in contrast to Musk’s initial intention of a safe free speech environment.
“So legitimately asking about notable people. Who’s to stop someone imitating themselves as Elon Musk or people trying to scam someone pretending to be someone that is well known?” @HydrationOnKick asked on Twitter.
So legitimately asking about notable people. Who's to stop someone imitating themselves as @elonmusk or people trying to scam someone pretending to be someone that is well known?
— RG | HydrationMonitor (@HydrationOnKick) April 20, 2023
At this time, it is uncertain if Twitter’s decision will be rescinded. Musk got his feet wet by subsidising Twitter Blue subscriptions for some accounts. In a response to a tweet revealing his intention to personally pay for some celebrities’ checkmarks, Musk replied that he did so for William Shatner, LeBron James, and Stephen King.
With a monthly minimum wage of ₦30,000, it is not clear how many Nigerians will be willing to part with 17% of their income to be taken seriously on Twitter.
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