As promised and delayed multiple times, Twitter is now officially starting to remove blue checkmarks from “legacy” verified users. Twitter CEO Elon Musk has been a vocal critic of the legacy verification system, opting instead to issue verified checkmarks as part of the Twitter Blue subscription service.
RIP legacy Twitter blue checks 🫡
Twitter users with the legacy verified blue checkmark are starting to see their profiles updated with the change this afternoon. This includes 9to5Mac staffers, such as yours truly. Everyone who had the legacy blue checkmark is affected by this change, even including some of the world’s biggest celebrities.
The change appears to be rolling out slowly, and the process appears to be quite buggy. You may notice a blue checkmark on an account, then refresh the page and it’s gone, then refresh again and it’s back. Nonetheless, it’s clear Twitter has officially started the process of killing the legacy verified program altogether, as promised by Musk multiple times.
Brands and organizations are able to apply for (and pay for) a gold checkmark for verification. Other users can sign up for Twitter Blue, which costs $8 per month, to regain a blue checkmark on their account.
The outcome of Twitter’s decision to remove legacy verified checkmarks remains to be seen. Critics of the move have a number of concerns about how this pay-for-play may lead to an increase in impersonation and misinformation.
Despite the concerns, Musk has repeatedly called the original blue checkmark system “bullshit” and said that it creates a “lords and peasants system.” You could make the argument that charging $8 for a blue check also creates a “lords and peasants system,” but alas.
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