Twitter removes free verification checkmarks

As announced, Twitter on Thursday began removing the free verification checkmarks previously given to celebrities and relevant people for free. Now only paying subscription customers of the SMS service have the same symbol in their profile – but without any real verification of their identity.

Among the celebrities whose accounts did not have a white check mark on a blue background on Thursday were football star Cristiano Ronaldo, actress Halle Berry and numerous musicians such as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Shakira and Justin Timberlake.

Now everyone can pretend to be her, singer Dionne Warwick criticized in advance, whose account also lost the verification check. The symbols were introduced so that users could be sure that no one was impersonating celebrities, politicians or athletes.

After buying Twitter for about $44 billion, tech billionaire Elon Musk claimed the tap-assignment process was “corrupt.” That’s why everyone should pay for it now. Many celebrities have announced that they will not be subscribing to Musk’s Twitter.

Historically, most of Twitter’s revenue has come from advertising. After the Musk acquisition, there was a churn of advertisers. He now hopes more for subscription revenue from users and companies. The checkmark Make part of a subscription is part of the plan.

With the new model, there is only actual verification for companies. But they would also have to pay considerably more for their golden tick: 950 euros (934 francs) per month instead of 9.52 euros (9.35 francs) for individual users. (sda/dpa)