Alasdair Keane
Technology reporter

Image source, Getty Images

While Twitter have dropped blue marks from ‘legacy’ verified accounts, there is a new colour scheme to their verification system, so what do they mean?

Blue: The traditional mark of verification now means the account is subscripted to Twitter Blue (from $8 a month) and completed some verification steps such as having a mobile phone linked to the account.

It must also be older than 30 days and have no recent changes to name or handle.

Gold: These marks are reserved for organisations and businesses who pay $1,000 a month plus additional fees for subsequent accounts.

Grey: Is the mark of an official government account, such as a national agency or a head of state.

Annabelle Liang
Business reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Twitter Blue had a chaotic initial launch in November, as people started impersonating big brands and celebrities and paying for the blue tick badge in order to make them look authentic. Many pretended to be Elon Musk himself.

This forced Twitter to pause the feature after less than a week, before it was relaunched the following month.

Twitter Blue has since been used by controversial groups, including Taliban officials and their prominent supporters in Afghanistan.

Verified users have their tweets amplified above other accounts. Subscribers also have access to additional features including an edit button, among other perks.

Previously, the blue tick was used to indicate that high-profile accounts were authentic. It was given out by Twitter without a subscription fee - but only the firm itself decided who got one.

Last month, Twitter announced that from 15 April only verified subscribers will have posts recommended to other users and be allowed to vote in polls.

It said it would also start phasing out its "legacy verified programme" and remove some "legacy verified checkmarks" from 1 April.

The firm added that users needed to pay to "keep your blue checkmark on Twitter".

Dawning of a new era for a chaotic platformpublished at 12:00 British Summer Time 21 April 2023

12:00 BST 21 April 2023

Zoe Kleinman
Technology editor

Image source, Getty Images

The removal of the legacy “blue tick” verification badge from Twitter accounts signals the dawning of a very new era on this chaotic platform.

Now, accounts have a blue tick because they’re paying a monthly subscription, not because Twitter wants you to know that they are genuine.

There is of course a verification process involved in making that payment, but there are also already examples of fake accounts choosing to pay in order to impersonate high profile individuals and organisations.

Those who pay, rather than those who are chosen, will now benefit from higher visibility on people’s feeds – so what we will see in the coming days is exactly who the new Twitter crowd is.

Elon Musk said he didn’t think it was fair that Twitter got to decide who was important under the old regime. But there are reports of a list of thousands who have been given verification for free.

So it’s not entirely a level playing field after all… at least not yet.

Image source, Getty Images

Multiple award-winning singer and actress Bette Midler is among the celebrities who have lost their blue verification ticks after not signing up for Twitter Blue.

Like many others, she took to the platform last night to share her frustration with her more than two million followers.

"Elon took my blue check away! I’m unverified!" she tweeted.

Others who lose their blue ticks include Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez, Bill Gates, Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and Oprah Winfrey.

Ben Stiller shared a post saying: "No blue check, still feel like me."

US rapper Ice T also lost his blue tick, before it was reinstated.

"The fact that we’re even discussing blue check marks is a sad moment in society," he tweeted.

Image source, Getty Images

Twitter has also dropped the “government-funded media” label from the Twitter handles of some global media organisations.

Earlier this month, the social media giant added the label to the BBC, US National Public Radio (NPR) and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

NPR, a US not-for-profit news organisation, subsequently announced it would stop using Twitter, as did CBC, while the label was in place.

They have not commented yet on whether they will now return to the platform.

When the BBC’s technology correspondent contacted Elon Musk to tell him the label was misleading, Musk responded in an email, asking: "Is the Twitter label accurate?"

He later changed the label to “publicly funded”. Twitter has also dropped the "China state-affiliated media" tag on the accounts of Xinhua News.

While most celebrities lost their coveted blue ticks, a few of Elon Musk's most public opponents have kept them - whether they like it or not.

Author Stephen King, basketball legend LeBron James and Star Trek actor William Shatner have all retained their blue ticks.

Musk said that he was "paying for a few personally", external and confirmed it was "just Shatner, Lebron and King", external.

It comes after King tweeted on Thursday: "My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t. My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t. "

Musk replied: "You're welcome, Namaste."

Blue ticks - no longer a sign you can trust a Twitter accountpublished at 10:55 British Summer Time 21 April 2023

10:55 BST 21 April 2023

Marianna Spring
Disinformation and social media correspondent

Blue ticks have long been the language used to communicate whether an account is who they say they are on Twitter.

But under Elon Musk's new Twitter Blue policy, the ticks are no more - unless you're willing to pay for one. That means we've all got to learn to speak a new language to figure out what's real and false.

Trusted news accounts did have gold ticks, but even those have momentarily disappeared.

Other high-profile accounts - like Pope Francis - now have grey ticks; others are tick-less. It's all a little bit confusing.

The risk is two-fold. It's hard to distinguish the real account from others impersonating it. My own blue-tick has disappeared, so a fake Marianna Spring could spring up and - on first glance - a user could think it's me.

Now you have to use other clues to spot who is who. Look at old tweets, their follower count - and whether their tweets are as you'd expect.

Then, some of the accounts that have bought blue ticks appear to be trolls or have a history of pushing disinformation. If you're still fluent in blue-tick, you might be under the impression these accounts are trusted, and the posts they're sharing are sanctioned.

Yesterday was a big day for the most prolific Twitter users, as the platform began removing blue tick verification from thousands of accounts.

Many notable profiles of famous people and huge companies have had their verified status (also known as a blue check) taken away as the change is rolled out.

The move comes as owner Elon Musk attempts to overhaul the social media company to turn a profit.

Users who wish to retain the blue symbol beside their name must pay $84 (£67) a year to subscribe to Twitter Blue.

Image source, PA Media

The Pope, Beyoncé, Cristiano Ronaldo and official government accounts all lost their blue ticks. Some profiles, including the pontiff's, have since been given grey ticks to identify them as official.

As the change happened, many formerly verified took to Twitter to joke about it, or mourn the loss.

US Olympian Lolo Jones noted she's still verified where it counts: her dating profile. Actor and comedian Rick Gervais joked: "My blue tick has gone. I’m not sure if I’m really me or not."

Other users noted the irony that actor Jason Sudeikis had lost his verification, while Ted Lasso, the fictional character he portrays, had not.

Marita Moloney
Live reporter

Hello and thanks for joining us as we bring you the latest on what has been a chaotic couple of days for Twitter.

Elon Musk has been making changes since buying the social media company in a bid to turn a profit and on Thursday, the platform began removing the once-coveted blue tick verification from thousands of accounts.

But the changes have sparked concerns about misinformation and hate speech spreading on Twitter, as well as accounts with extreme views gaining traction.

Along with my colleagues in London and our Technology Editor Zoe Kleinman and Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent Marianna Spring, we'll be explaining the significance of these changes, as well as some of the lighter takes on the site, so stay with us.