Elon Musk's Twitter Purge Misfires as Legacy Blue Checks Remain Intact, Leaving Many Questioning Purpose of Paid Verification.
In a move that was intended to shake up the platform, Twitter under Elon Musk has opted to focus its efforts on just one high-profile account. The main account for The New York Times, which had previously announced it would not be paying for verification, lost its coveted blue check mark over the weekend after posting a meme about the upcoming purge.
The move was part of a broader effort by Musk to overhaul Twitter's verification system and introduce a new paid subscription model. However, instead of targeting all legacy blue-check holders as planned, the platform decided to single out The New York Times' account.
Twitter users woke up on Saturday expecting to lose their blue checks in the purge, but most found that their verification marks had 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 notable individuals or simply users who have paid for verification.
The decision has left many questioning the purpose of paid verification and the logic behind Musk's approach. By targeting just one high-profile account, the platform appears to be prioritizing revenue over fairness.
Musk had initially stated that individual users would eventually have to pay for blue checks, but this plan was met with resistance from prominent users like actor William Shatner and anti-bullying activist Monica Lewinsky. The new system introduces a color-coded verification system, but it's unclear how effective it will be in preventing impersonation.
Experts warn that the new label could risk making it easier for people to scam or impersonate high-profile users, particularly if they have not paid for verification. The decision also raises questions about whether reserving verification for paid users will reduce the number of bots on the site.
As part of his long campaign against "legacy" blue checks, Musk has been pushing for a change in Twitter's verification system since shortly after he bought the platform last fall. However, the move has been met with skepticism and criticism from many who feel that it unfairly targets certain users.
In an effort to drive revenue, Musk is now seeking to monetize the verification process, which could help him pay off significant debt incurred when buying Twitter for $44 billion. The decision has sparked debate about whether this approach is fair and effective in maintaining a safe and secure platform.
In a move that was intended to shake up the platform, Twitter under Elon Musk has opted to focus its efforts on just one high-profile account. The main account for The New York Times, which had previously announced it would not be paying for verification, lost its coveted blue check mark over the weekend after posting a meme about the upcoming purge.
The move was part of a broader effort by Musk to overhaul Twitter's verification system and introduce a new paid subscription model. However, instead of targeting all legacy blue-check holders as planned, the platform decided to single out The New York Times' account.
Twitter users woke up on Saturday expecting to lose their blue checks in the purge, but most found that their verification marks had 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 notable individuals or simply users who have paid for verification.
The decision has left many questioning the purpose of paid verification and the logic behind Musk's approach. By targeting just one high-profile account, the platform appears to be prioritizing revenue over fairness.
Musk had initially stated that individual users would eventually have to pay for blue checks, but this plan was met with resistance from prominent users like actor William Shatner and anti-bullying activist Monica Lewinsky. The new system introduces a color-coded verification system, but it's unclear how effective it will be in preventing impersonation.
Experts warn that the new label could risk making it easier for people to scam or impersonate high-profile users, particularly if they have not paid for verification. The decision also raises questions about whether reserving verification for paid users will reduce the number of bots on the site.
As part of his long campaign against "legacy" blue checks, Musk has been pushing for a change in Twitter's verification system since shortly after he bought the platform last fall. However, the move has been met with skepticism and criticism from many who feel that it unfairly targets certain users.
In an effort to drive revenue, Musk is now seeking to monetize the verification process, which could help him pay off significant debt incurred when buying Twitter for $44 billion. The decision has sparked debate about whether this approach is fair and effective in maintaining a safe and secure platform.
they literally targeted just one account lol what was the point of that? it looks like they're just trying to milk more cash from us 
so now we gotta pay to be verified or we get a fancy label that's basically useless 
and who knows how many bots are gonna start impersonating legit users with blue checks 
anyway, guess that means shatner and monica lewinsky are still getting their freebies 
. I mean, what's the point of even having paid verification if you're not going to crack down on all the fake accounts? It feels like Musk is more worried about making money than keeping the platform safe and fair 
. And honestly, it's kinda annoying that The New York Times' account got singled out for a meme 
. I don't think this whole thing makes sense at all...
and the fact that they're prioritizing revenue over fairness is wild. i mean i get it, musk needs to pay off debt or whatever but come on guys 
let's not forget who these people are and why we trust them in the first place 
. And what's with this new label saying they're verified because they subscribed to Twitter Blue? Like, isn't that just paying for it? It doesn’t seem fair or clear to me 
. And what's with the new label? Is it really gonna make a difference in terms of preventing bots and scams? I don't think so... 
I also worry about people using those labels to scam high-profile users who haven't paid for verification. Not cool, Elon 
. Maybe we should just stick with the old system, at least if there's something wrong with it, it's clear what it is 
they were gonna make all the legacy blue checks people lose their special label but then they choose to leave The New York Times account alone? 
what's the point of even having a paid verification system if you're not gonna apply it to everyone equally? 
and I don't know if it's even gonna help with bots on the site 
. He wants to make money off it, but I'm not sure if it's the right way to go about it 
.
. In fact, it might even make things worse for people who are trying to stay safe on the platform 
. I'm just not sure if this whole thing was worth the hype 
. And now, because he didn't go through with it, we're left with a label that's basically meaningless 
. Can we just keep our blue checks without having to shell out extra cash? 
i mean, cant they just figure out a better way to filter them out instead of making it harder for legit users to get verified? btw, who's william shatner again? 
I don't know, but it sounds like it could make things worse. I mean, if some scammer can just slap on that label and pretend to be someone else, who's gonna know the difference? 
I'm all for giving people the option to pay for verification if they want to. It's not like it's a bad thing or anything 
. And honestly, I think Elon's trying to do what he thinks is best for Twitter, even if some people don't agree with his methods 
. Can't blame him for trying to innovate and make some cash 
. Why single out The New York Times' account when all legacy blue-check holders should be treated the same? It's like he's trying to nickel and dime us instead of making Twitter a better platform for everyone 
. Anyway, I guess we'll have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out... Fingers crossed for a more transparent approach from Musk!