Twitter has announced that it will be phasing out its legacy verified program and removing legacy verified checkmarks starting April 1st. Those who were previously verified will have to start paying for their blue tick if they want to keep it.
Twitter chief Elon Musk had already announced the company’s intention to remove corrupt legacy blue verification checkmarks last November. It remains to be seen whether the company plans to remove verified checkmarks all at once or in batches.
The timing of Twitter’s announcement coincides with the worldwide availability of Twitter Blue subscriptions, which offer subscribers benefits such as longer 4,000-character tweets, edit tweets, the ability to hide Blue badges (which may release soon), and higher reply rankings, in addition to the blue tick next to their usernames. This expansion of Blue’s availability is crucial if Twitter wants to achieve Musk’s goal of getting half its revenue from subscriptions.
It’s unclear if Twitter’s announcement is an April Fools’ joke, given Musk’s sense of humor. Nonetheless, Twitter’s announcement may further alienate some previously verified users, who may be unwilling to pay the subscription fee. Meanwhile, the removal of legacy verified checkmarks could lead to a diminished value of the blue tick, which may no longer signify the same status and prestige it once did.
Also read: Last day to keep Twitter’s SMS 2FA authentication
Furthermore, Twitter is also opening applications for Gold verified organizations. Once applied, a team will verify their accounts, and they’ll gain access. The organization will also have to pay a $1,000/month fee per account, including $50/month for additional accounts. You can apply for Twitter’s Gold checkmark here if you’re an organization.
