Elon Musk's Plan for Twitter Verification Purge Falls Flat as Single Account Targeted Instead of Hundreds
In a move that was supposed to revamp Twitter's verification system, Elon Musk's promise of a purge of blue check marks has instead raised more questions than answers. Initially announced as part of a plan to "treat everyone equally," the new system would require users to pay $8 per month for Twitter Blue to receive a verified badge. However, in a surprising twist, only one account lost its coveted blue verification check mark over the weekend: that of The New York Times.
Instead of a sweeping overhaul of the verification process, it appears that Musk has singled out the Times' main account as a test subject, effectively removing its blue check without explanation. This move has left many users wondering why certain accounts are still being verified under Twitter's old system while others have been stripped of their badges.
The confusion surrounding the new system was already evident with most legacy blue check holders finding that their verification marks had not disappeared but rather been appended with a new label reading: "This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account." This change makes it unclear whether verified accounts are actually notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue.
The Times' decision not to pay for verification, which had previously been touted as a key selling point for the platform, appears to be paying off. Despite losing its blue check, other accounts belonging to The New York Times remain verified, including those related to its arts, travel, and books content.
Twitter's lack of transparency on this matter is not a new issue. Musk has long struggled with clarity around his plans for the platform, often presenting changes as being driven by a desire to "treating everyone equally." However, many experts believe that this approach could risk making it easier for people to scam or impersonate high-profile users.
The decision to target The New York Times' main account over others has also raised questions about Musk's true motives. Is the billionaire genuinely concerned with reducing bot activity on the site, or is he simply seeking to drive revenue through paid features? As experts point out, reserving verification for paid users may not necessarily reduce the number of bots on the site.
The weekend's events have added another layer of complexity to a platform already plagued by issues related to inauthentic behavior. With Musk's priorities seeming to shift on a daily basis, one thing is certain: clarity and transparency will be key to restoring trust in Twitter's verification system.
In a move that was supposed to revamp Twitter's verification system, Elon Musk's promise of a purge of blue check marks has instead raised more questions than answers. Initially announced as part of a plan to "treat everyone equally," the new system would require users to pay $8 per month for Twitter Blue to receive a verified badge. However, in a surprising twist, only one account lost its coveted blue verification check mark over the weekend: that of The New York Times.
Instead of a sweeping overhaul of the verification process, it appears that Musk has singled out the Times' main account as a test subject, effectively removing its blue check without explanation. This move has left many users wondering why certain accounts are still being verified under Twitter's old system while others have been stripped of their badges.
The confusion surrounding the new system was already evident with most legacy blue check holders finding that their verification marks had not disappeared but rather been appended with a new label reading: "This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account." This change makes it unclear whether verified accounts are actually notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue.
The Times' decision not to pay for verification, which had previously been touted as a key selling point for the platform, appears to be paying off. Despite losing its blue check, other accounts belonging to The New York Times remain verified, including those related to its arts, travel, and books content.
Twitter's lack of transparency on this matter is not a new issue. Musk has long struggled with clarity around his plans for the platform, often presenting changes as being driven by a desire to "treating everyone equally." However, many experts believe that this approach could risk making it easier for people to scam or impersonate high-profile users.
The decision to target The New York Times' main account over others has also raised questions about Musk's true motives. Is the billionaire genuinely concerned with reducing bot activity on the site, or is he simply seeking to drive revenue through paid features? As experts point out, reserving verification for paid users may not necessarily reduce the number of bots on the site.
The weekend's events have added another layer of complexity to a platform already plagued by issues related to inauthentic behavior. With Musk's priorities seeming to shift on a daily basis, one thing is certain: clarity and transparency will be key to restoring trust in Twitter's verification system.
. Like, come on Elon, if you're really trying to "treat everyone equally" then why single out The New York Times like that? It just raises more questions than answers and makes you look even more clueless than before 
. I mean, who needs a $8/month subscription to be verified anyway? It's not like it's going to stop bots from flooding the site or something 
. And honestly, I'm kinda glad The Times didn't cave and pay up - it's a good reminder that even big players can stand up for themselves 
. Transparency would be great, but let's be real, we're stuck with Musk's all-or-nothing approach which is just confusing 
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The New York Times' main account losing its blue check mark over the weekend has left a lot of questions unanswered.
. But for everyone else who's still trying to figure out what's going on, I feel you. Can we just get some clarity around this whole verification thing already? 
the times not paying for verification tho is kinda genius though i mean who needs blue check when you can still get verified with a fancy label 
. One account gets stripped of its blue check mark and suddenly the whole verification system falls apart? It's like Musk took a sledgehammer to the platform instead of trying to fine-tune things. I need more info on why The New York Times' main account was targeted specifically, not just some vague claim about reducing bot activity.
I'm like "what's good with this new verification system" right? It sounds like Elon is just trying to get more $$$ out of us instead of actually fixing the issues on the platform. And now that one account got their blue check taken away, people are all confused about who's verified and who's not 
. The Times' decision to not pay was probably the smart move anyway 
... I guess one thing's for sure: trust needs to come back before Twitter can be trusted again 
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. If Musk really cared about that, he'd be looking at ways to root out bots, not just target specific accounts or charge users extra for a badge 
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it's all really confusing. i think it's a bad idea to make people pay $8/month to get verified cuz that's just gonna drive more bots on the site 
and nobody wants to deal with fake accounts anymore 
so musk thinks he can just single out the NY times account like that? that's not exactly treating everyone equally 
and now ppl are actually paying $8 a month for a blue badge just to get verified cuz it's subscribed or legacy verified lol what even is that 
. Single-handedly solving the bot problem on Twitter by taking away verification from... basically everyone else 
so what's up with this new twitter verification system? it seems like just another confusing move by musk 
and btw, why cant he just be clear about his plans from the start? its not that hard to spell out how this is all gonna work 
And now these legacy verified accounts are just stuck with this weird label that makes it hard to tell who's who on the site. It's like, come on Elon, be transparent, man!