Twitter moving forward with plans to remove thousands of legacy verification check marks

by Lauren Sforza - 04/20/23 11:06 AM ET

The Twitter splash page is seen on a digital device, Monday, April 25, 2022, in San Diego. Twitter users were greeted early Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 with an ultimatum from the social media app: Subscribe to the platform’s new premium service or lose a popular account security feature. A pop-up message warned users they will lose the ability to secure access to their account via text message two-factor authentication unless they pay $8 a month to subscribe to Twitter Blue. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Twitter is moving forward with its plans to remove thousands of legacy verification check marks on the platform more than two weeks after it was initially set to take place.

Twitter tweeted on Wednesday that the platform will remove legacy verification check marks on Thursday, which will largely affect the accounts of public figures, celebrities and journalists who have verification badges.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk initially said the platform would start removing legacy verification check marks on April 1, but the only prominent account to lose its badge was The New York Times, which Musk called “unreadable” at the time.

Twitter’s push to remove legacy check marks comes as the platform tries to encourage users to pay into its Twitter Blue program, which gives users a blue check mark and allows them to write longer tweets and edit them for $8 per month. Twitter also rolled out a paid Verified Organizations program, which would cost organizations like nonprofits, government offices and all other businesses $1,000 per month to receive a gold verification badge.

This latest update to Twitter’s verification system is the latest controversial policy made by the company as news organizations question whether they should remain on the platform. One of Twitter’s latest moves was to label some news organizations, like PBS, NPR and the BBC, as “state affiliated.” Musk later walked back the decision and instead labeled those organizations as “government funded.”

This move prompted PBS and NPR to leave Twitter, pointing to their other social media platforms and websites so that their audiences could follow their coverage.

The verified blue check marks on Twitter confirmed the platform determined the account matched the user it said it was, which was typically reserved for public figures, journalists and celebrities. When Musk purchased Twitter in November, he was adamant on rolling out a paid verification program so that more users could be verified, saying the move would “democratize journalism and empower the voice of the people.”

Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.

Tags Elon Musk