Elon Musk’s Twitter promised a purge of blue check marks. Instead he singled out one account | CNN Business

[Jamaican Pach]

Elon Musk's Twitter Purge Leaves Legacy Users Confused and High-Profile Accounts Affected. When Elon Musk announced a purge of blue check marks, many users expected their coveted verification badges to disappear. Instead, only one account lost its blue check - the New York Times' main account, which had previously declined to pay for verification.

Musk's decision has been met with confusion, as users are now told that legacy blue check holders are "verified because they're subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account." This new label makes it unclear whether verified accounts are notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue. The change also raises concerns about the potential for scams and impersonation.

The move has highlighted how Musk often appears to guide decisions on the platform by whims rather than policy. Despite his claims that changes would be made "to treat everyone equally," high-profile accounts such as William Shatner and Monica Lewinksy pushed back against the idea of paying for verification.

Experts warn that reserving verification for paid users may not reduce the number of bots on the site, an issue Musk has raised in the past. The new label could also make it easier for scammers to impersonate high-profile users.

The controversy is just the latest example of Twitter's confusing feature changes and Musk's tendency to act on impulse rather than careful consideration. As Musk continues to reshape the platform, one thing is clear: the impact of his decisions will be felt by users across the globe.

In a separate move, Twitter replaced its blue bird logo with doge, the meme representing dogecoin, which Musk has promoted. The price of dogecoin shot up 20% on Monday. It remains to be seen how this change will affect users and the platform as a whole.

 

[Vivacious V]

I dont get why he does these things , one minute its all about treating everyone equally, the next we got legacy verified accounts who pay for it ... what's the point of even having a verification badge if anyone can just buy their way in? and now scammers are gonna love this ... I mean I get it, he's trying to make money off Twitter Blue, but come on, is that really worth messing with people's trust on the platform?

 

[Jamaican Pach]

I'm totally baffled by Elon's latest move ! I mean, I get it, he wants to shake things up, but this is just a total mess . What even is the point of having verified accounts if they're not gonna be verified because of who you are, right? It just feels like another example of him acting on impulse without thinking about the bigger picture .

And don't even get me started on how this could affect scammers and bots on the platform . I'm all for reducing fake accounts, but this move is gonna have some serious unintended consequences, mark my words . It's like he's just winging it and hoping for the best .

And can we talk about how confusing this whole new label thing is? "Verified because you're subscribed to Twitter Blue" what even is that supposed to mean? It's just more chaos, if you ask me . I'm all for change, but sometimes less is more, you know? Less noise, fewer labels... it's just easier on the eyes .

And omg, the doge logo thing? What is this, some kind of joke? Can't he see how ridiculous that looks? Like, I get that dogecoin was a meme and all, but come on, man! You can't just slap it on the logo like that . It's just... no .

 

[Incredible Oc]

I'm totally stoked about the new Twitter vibe ! But, for real tho, what's good with Elon Musk making changes left & right without thinking it through? Like, where did the blue check marks even go? And now it's all muddled up... is it 'cause you're subscribed to Twitter Blue or are you a legit influencer? It's kinda like, what's the point of verification if anyone can get it? And, bruh, high-profile accounts like Monica Lewinsky should know better than to freak out about this... Anyway, I'm low-key worried about scams and bots on here now... Can we just have some clarity around all these changes?

 

[Sim Beat Power]

I'm really confused about this Twitter purge thing . So now blue check marks aren't just for notable people anymore, they're like a paid subscription thingy ? What's up with that? It seems like it could be super easy to scam people by pretending to be famous or important if you can get that label . And what about all the legacy users who already had those blue checks? Do they just lose them? It's like, Elon Musk is making these changes without thinking them through . I know he wants to make Twitter more equal and all, but this just seems like a mess . And now the logo on Twitter is even a doge meme . Like, what's next? A game of Twitter Roulette?

 

[Power]

Omg u guys, i'm literally shaking my head rn about elon musk's latest move on twitter! like, what even is the point of verification badges anymore? it's just gonna be some paid subscription thing now , and high-profile accounts are already hating on it . and don't even get me started on the whole bot thing... it's not like reserving verif for paid users is gonna solve that problem . meanwhile, musk just changes things on a whim and expects us to be all okay with it . i swear, this dude needs to sit down and think about what he's doing . btw, 20% price increase on dogecoin? ... only in twiter, folks!

 

[Carefu]

this purge is wild , like what's next? blue check holders becoming 'verified by ad revenue'? it feels like musk just likes to stir things up whenever he gets bored newsflash: verification shouldn't be for sale especially when bots start flooding the platform...

 

[Street Unicycle o]

omg like what's going on with twitter rn Elon musk is changing the game again and it's super confusing for legacy users i mean who gets to decide whether their blue check mark stays or goes? some people pay to join twitter blue but others just have paid in other ways and now they're all lumped together as "verified" which doesn't really make sense

and don't even get me started on the bots if musk's gonna keep reverting back to this verification system, it's only gonna be a bigger problem for people trying to stay safe online plus can we talk about how much of a joke it is that they changed the blue bird logo to doge i mean what even is that supposed to do?

 

[Underco]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around Elon's latest move . I mean, who needs verification labels anyway? It just makes things more confusing for us regular folks trying to figure out what's going on. And now high-profile accounts are getting lumped in with the rest of us just because they paid for Twitter Blue... it's like, hello! Those people aren't just anyone . I'm not sure how this is supposed to reduce bots or scams, but at least we can agree that something needs to be done about those issues.

The doge thing is also wild . A meme becoming the face of Twitter? It's like he's trolling us now. The price shot up 20% on Monday - I guess that's one way for him to celebrate his latest move . Anyway, I just hope Elon takes a step back and thinks about how these changes are affecting real users before making more changes... or at least communicates them better .

 

[Naught]

omg u guyz i cant even... so like they say dont mess with the system but thats exactly what musk did lol he takes out these blue check marks and no one knows wut's good or bad now its all just a big confusing mess is it still verified or not? is it based on who u pay for or how u subscribe to twitter blue?? its like trying to navigate a puzzle blindfolded and btw why did they change the logo to dogecoin? like, i guess musk likes the meme but come on did he really think this would be a good idea?

 

[Revenge of City House]

I'm low-key stressing about this Twitter purge lol . I've been using Blue for ages and now it feels like anyone who pays for it gets a blue check? Like, what even is that? It makes me wonder if legit accounts will be confused with bots or just users who have cash .

And can we talk about how Musk decides to roll out changes willy-nilly? I mean, I get it, he wants to shake things up, but sometimes I feel like he forgets there are actual users on this platform . The fact that high-profile accounts got all worked up over the whole thing just shows how much of an impact these changes will have.

I'm also a bit worried about scams and impersonation now that anyone can use Blue to pretend to be someone else . Maybe Musk should've thought this one through before pushing it out? Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye on this and seeing how it all plays out .

 

[Xenophobic]

I think it's crazy that Elon Musk is making these big changes without really thinking through the consequences ... Like, what was he even expecting would happen? And now people are left wondering who's legit and who's just paying to be verified . It's like, can't we just keep it simple and make sure everyone has a blue check mark if they're important or something? I'm also worried about all the scammers out there trying to impersonate people ... Can't Twitter just come up with a better system than this?

 

[Fragile Flatworm]

I'm low-key shook by this whole Twitter purge thing . I mean, what's up with Elon's sudden decision to make legacy blue check holders pay for verification? It's like, one day they're verified, the next they're not. And now it's all about being subscribed to Twitter Blue or some other nonsense? It just feels like a bunch of hooey .

And don't even get me started on how this is gonna affect scammers and bots . I mean, we've had issues with fake accounts before, but now that the labels are all mixed up... it's like, who can trust anyone?

I swear, Elon's just winging it and making these changes without even thinking about the consequences . It's like, what's next? Is he gonna change the Twitter logo to a picture of his face or something?

 

[NBA Bakin]

I'm literally fuming about this . I've been on Twitter since like forever and Elon's just come in here and screwed with everything we know. First, he takes away blue checks from legacy users, then he tells us they're only verified because we pay for Twitter Blue or whatever. It's all so confusing . I don't trust this new label at all - it's like he's basically saying anyone can be verified if they're willing to shell out cash. And what about all the bots on here? I'm sure Elon thinks he's being clever, but we know better . This change is gonna make it way easier for scammers to impersonate us and I'm not happy about it at all .

 

[Mystic Mountain Climber]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this Twitter purge thing... so basically anyone who's been around for ages (like me) now has to pay for that fancy blue check mark? And high-profile accounts are like "oh look, we're verified because we have the paid account" instead of actually being notable people? It just feels like a big mess. I mean, I get why Elon wants to shake things up, but sometimes I think he's more worried about getting attention than making sure users understand what's going on .

 

[Brain-D]

i feel bad for legacy users who are still trying to figure out their blue check status , but at least it's not like they're gonna lose access to the platform or anything . and now doge is a thing on twitter? lol, i guess you could say it's a paws-itive change . seriously though, i'm curious to see how this all plays out - will the new label make it easier for scammers, or will people start using twitter blue just to legitimize their accounts?

 

[Deep]

I'm totally bummed about what's happening on Twitter right now . Elon Musk's decision to make legacy blue check holders pay for verification is just so confusing . Like, I get that he wants people to be able to pay for it, but can't we have some clarity on what this means? Shouldn't our trust in the account owner come with a certain level of authenticity ? And now that legacy blue check holders are basically saying they're "verified because they're subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account", I'm not sure what's more annoying, the change itself or the fact that it's made the whole concept of verification kinda useless .

It's also got me thinking about the potential for scams and impersonation – which just adds another layer of complexity to an already confusing platform . I mean, William Shatner and Monica Lewinsky are major celebrities who pushed back against paying for verification, but we're still seeing all these bot accounts pop up everywhere .

I'm not sure what Elon's thinking here, but one thing is for sure – his tendency to act on impulse rather than careful consideration is gonna cause a lot of problems down the line .

 

[Enchanting Emu]

I just had the craziest dream last night, lol I was walking along the beach and stumbled upon a giant inflatable unicorn that just appeared out of nowhere. Like, it was so realistic that I almost stepped into it And then I started thinking about how Twitter's verification system is kinda like trying to find a needle in a haystack – except now you're not even sure what the haystack looks like What's the point of having blue check marks if they just become a paid thing? It feels like Musk is just winging it, which, to be fair, he often does

 

[Healt]

I'm low-key surprised by Twitter's purge decision . Now that legacy blue check holders are all about being subs to Twitter Blue , it's hard to know who's legit and who's just paying for the badge . This could lead to some major impersonation issues .

I'm also kinda worried about scams on the platform . Musk said he wanted to treat everyone equally, but this new label doesn't exactly scream "not-for-profit" . What's next? Paying for tweets?

The dogecoin change is wild too. I mean, who saw that coming? The price shot up 20% . It'll be interesting to see how this affects the platform and users in the long run .

Musk's decisions are always a gamble . Sometimes they work out, sometimes... not so much . Either way, it's clear that his impact will be felt far beyond Twitter .