Twitter on Thursday began removing the blue checkmarks from accounts that haven't signed up for a paid subscription.
The blue ticks have now disappeared from the profiles of Oprah Winfrey, Pope Francis, former President Donald Trump, and other prominent public figures who haven't signed up for the paid verification service.
- Other
celebrities have kept heir blue checks, including LeBron James, Stephen
King, and William Shatner, who previously said they wouldn't pay for
the feature.
- CEO Elon Musk later said that he was paying for “a few” subscriptions “personally,” including King, Shatner, and James.
- Individual
users are required to provide a phone number that must be verified
before getting the blue check, part of the Twitter Blue service.
- Brands and government accounts can also be verified for $1,000 a month and receive gold and silver checks, respectively.
- Twitter is also requiring companies that want to advertise on the platform to pay for verification.
- A company email clarifies that businesses already spending $1,000 a month receive the gold check gratis.
