Twitter billionaire and owner Elon Musk caused a stir on Saturday, April 22, when legacy accounts had their verification badges restored without their knowledge. These accounts had previously paid for the Twitter subscription fee and verified their phone numbers, but many were surprised to see the badge reinstated. However, a quick analysis revealed that Elon Musk’s company had restored accounts with over 1 million followers.
Forbes reported that “Twitter started giving anyone with a large following, roughly 1 million followers or more, a free checkmark.” This move provided relief to news organizations as hundreds of parody accounts had spread misinformation. Kenyan media outlets were especially grateful, spending Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22, flagging and reporting on parody accounts spreading false information.
Some notable leaders and celebrities who had their verification tags restored included President William Ruto, Azimio Leader Raila Odinga, and veteran journalists Jeff Koinange and Larry Madowo. Elon Musk also restored the badges of news organizations such as Kenyans.co.ke, Citizen TV, BBC, and The Washington Post.
While the news was welcome to many organizations, there was concern about Twitter accounts for celebrities and leaders who had passed away. These accounts received a blue verification badge, indicating that they had paid for the tick and verified their accounts. Forbes noted that Elon Musk had even given checkmarks to people who had passed on. Clicking on the blue checkmark on their profiles revealed that they had subscribed to Twitter Blue and had handed over their phone number.
Despite the restoration of badges to legacy accounts, Elon Musk has not released any statement about whether the blue badge would continue to be free for accounts with over 1 million followers.
In conclusion, Elon Musk has granted verification to legacy accounts with 1 million followers, causing a wave of reactions across social media. While this move has helped news organizations and celebrities alike, there is still some confusion and concern regarding the blue verification badge for accounts of those who have passed away. Nonetheless, only time will tell whether Elon Musk’s generosity will extend beyond the current restoration of badges.
