‘Twitter blue tick gone…’: Users say ‘no thanks’ to paid subscription

A confusion prevailed all among the Twitter users that why is it any longer called “verified” if any person can just go for paying to acquire blue tick.

Twitter's traditional blue checkmarks, which were used to indicate a verified notable person, have been replaced by a paid subscription service “Twitter Blue”, a premium version of the micro-blogging platform. In India, Twitter Blue is available for a monthly fee of ₹650 on the web and ₹900 on mobile devices. The microblogging platform also offers a discounted annual plan of ₹6,800 per year, which comes to ₹566.67 per month.

The move made many Twitter users to question the authenticity of the platform. (Representational Image)(AFP)

The change which came into effect late on Thursday night was announced just two weeks after Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter.

As a result, many high-profile users who choose not to pay for the subscription have lost their verified status. Confusion prevailed among Twitter users that why is it any longer called “verified” if any person can just go for paying to acquire a blue tick.

The microblogging site's announcement on Thursday that said, “Tomorrow, 4/20, we are removing legacy verified checkmarks. To remain verified on Twitter, individuals can sign up for Twitter Blue here…”

The move made many Twitter users question the authenticity of the platform, as the accounts that were once verified can no longer be easily identified as such.

“This will cause a lot of people to leave Twitter,” said a user.

Raising questions on the concept of verification, a user said, “I don’t think you mean ‘ to remain verified’ - as you’re not checking ID’s. Remaining blue check marks are simply paid subscribers - nothing else - there’s zero verification involved.”

A user talked about the subscription cost and said, “No thanks!”

“I have better things to spend 8 dollars a month on. I'd rather earn verification on another platform than pay to play here. On top of which, given verification is now available to anyone willing to pony up, it's absolutely meaningless,” the user further wrote.

Twitter launched the blue checkmark system back in 2009 as a way to distinguish the authenticity of notable accounts, including celebrities, politicians, brands, news organisations, and other high-profile individuals. The purpose was to ensure that users could trust the identity of the account they were interacting with, and avoid being misled by fake or parody accounts.

However, with the recent changes, many notable individuals, including Indian celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and politicians such as Rahul Gandhi and Yogi Adityanath, have lost their verified status.

The loss of blue checkmarks was not limited to celebrities and journalists; many government agencies, nonprofits, and public-service accounts worldwide also found themselves stripped of their verified status.