William Shatner, Monica Lewinsky and other prolific Twitter commentators B次元官网网址� some household names, others little-known journalists B次元官网网址� could soon be losing the blue check marks that helped verify their identity on the social media platform.
They could get the marks back by paying up to $11 a month. But some longtime users, including 92-year-old Star Trek legend Shatner, have balked at buying the championed by TwitterB次元官网网址檚 billionaire owner and chief executive Elon Musk.
After months of delay, Musk is gleefully promising that Saturday is the deadline for celebrities, journalists and others whoB次元官网网址檇 been to pony up or lose their legacy status.
B次元官网网址淚t will be glorious,B次元官网网址� he tweeted Monday, in response to a Twitter user who noted that Saturday is also April FoolsB次元官网网址� Day.
After buying Twitter for $44 billion in October, Musk has been trying to boost the struggling platformB次元官网网址檚 revenue by pushing more people to pay for a premium subscription. But his move also reflects his assertion that the blue verification marks have become an undeserved or B次元官网网址渃orruptB次元官网网址� status symbol for elite personalities and news reporters.
Along with verifying celebrities, one of TwitterB次元官网网址檚 main reasons to mark profiles with a free blue check mark starting about 14 years ago was to verify politicians, and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, as well as little-known journalists at small publications around the globe, as an extra tool to that are impersonating people.
Lewinsky tweeted a screenshot Sunday of all the people impersonating her, including at least one who appears to have paid for a blue check mark. She asked, B次元官网网址渨hat universe is this fair to people who can suffer consequences for being impersonated? a lie travels half way around the world before truth even gets out the door.B次元官网网址�
Shatner, known for his irreverent humor, also tagged Musk with a complaint about the promised changes.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been here for 15 years giving my (clock emoji) & witty thoughts all for bupkis,B次元官网网址� he wrote. B次元官网网址淣ow youB次元官网网址檙e telling me that I have to pay for something you gave me for free?B次元官网网址�
Musk responded that there shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be a different standard for celebrities. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 more about treating everyone equally,B次元官网网址� Musk tweeted.
For now, those who still have the blue check but apparently havenB次元官网网址檛 paid the premium fee B次元官网网址� a group that includes Beyonc茅, Stephen King, Barack and Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, Tucker Carlson, Drake and Musk himself B次元官网网址� have messages appended to their profile saying it is a B次元官网网址渓egacy verified account. It may or may not be notable.B次元官网网址�
But while B次元官网网址渢he attention is reasonably on celebrities because of our culture,B次元官网网址� the bigger concern for open government advocate Alex Howard, director of the Digital Democracy Project, is that impersonators could more easily spread rumors and conspiracies that could move markets or harm democracies around the world.
B次元官网网址淭he reason verification exists on this platform was not simply to designate people as notable or authorities, but to prevent impersonation,B次元官网网址� Howard said.
One of MuskB次元官网网址檚 first product moves after was to launch a service granting blue checks to anyone willing to pay $8 a month. But it was quickly inundated by imposter accounts, including those impersonating Nintendo, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and MuskB次元官网网址檚 businesses Tesla and SpaceX, so Twitter had to temporarily suspend the service days after its launch.
The relaunched service costs $8 a month for web users and $11 a month for iPhone and iPad users. Subscribers are supposed to see fewer ads, be able to post longer videos and have their tweets featured more prominently.
B次元官网网址擬att OB次元官网网址檅rien, The Associated Press
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