Elon Musk announced on Tuesday a deadline for removing legacy blue checkmarks from Twitter accounts verified under the company’s previous verification regime. The billionaire said the legacy blue checks will be taken away on April 20.
“Final date for removing legacy Blue checks is 4/20,” Musk tweeted. If implemented, Twitter’s verification marks will only be available for paid users, businesses, government entities, and officials.
The pricing of Twitter Blue varies based on region and the method of signing up. In India, the blue tick can be acquired for Rs 900 per month on iOS and Android devices or Rs 630 on the Twitter web.
The company initially announced the removal of legacy checkmarks on April 1, but like many deadlines promised by Musk, the date passed without any action.
Twitter has also introduced a program for businesses and organizations to pay $1,000 per month for verification badges (gold for brands, companies, and nonprofits; grey for governments). Twitter initially launched verified accounts in 2009 to help users identify genuine accounts “of public interest,” such as celebrities, politicians, companies and brands, news organizations, and others, and to distinguish them from impostors or parody accounts. Verification was previously free of charge.
In a recent Twitter Spaces session with the BBC, Musk addressed concerns about the impact of removing verification marks on the spread of disinformation, stating, “I think the media is a driver of misinformation much more than the media would like to admit that they are.” After refusing to pay for verification, the New York Times lost its verification mark. Other publications, including the Washington Post and Politico, have also stated they will not pay fees for verification.
Musk revealed in a now-deleted tweet earlier this month that legacy verified accounts would receive “a few week’s grace.” He also stated last month that Twitter would stop recommending non-verified accounts on its “For You” algorithmic timeline starting April 15.
