Twitter’s iconic blue checkmarks started disappearing this week when the corporate totally moved over to its new subscription service known as Twitter Blue. Now, customers should pay $8 per thirty days to maintain their verification, however three celebrities had been in a position to hold these checks with out forking over money – as a result of Musk says he’s paying for them.
On Thursday, creator Stephen King seen his verify mark was nonetheless on his account, regardless of guarantees from Twitter that each one checkmarks could be eliminated if customers aren’t paying for the subscription.
“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,” King tweeted.
Musk replied to his tweet: “You’re welcome namaste.”
He’s not the one celeb who stored the verify with out subscribing. Last month, LeBron James announced he would not be paying for the verify. But this week, it stays and Musk claims this was his doing.
The popular culture web site Pop Base tweeted that Musk was personally paying for some celebrities’ Twitter Blue subscriptions. He replied: “Just Shatner, LeBron and King.”
In an earlier tweet, Shatner let Musk know he accepts the blue check. Musk went on a tweeting spree on Thursday however didn’t elaborate on why he selected these three celebrities to maintain their blue checks.
Many high-profile Twitter pages that had been as soon as verified are now not, after many refused to pay for the Twitter Blue subscription. The subscription additionally permits customers to put in writing longer tweets and edit them.
Avid Twitter consumer Dionne Warwick called the new verification system an “absolute mess.” She joked that the $8 would instead go towards her “extra hot lattes.”
Some celebrities, nonetheless, appeared to have paid for the checkmarks, like Taylor Swift and Rihanna.
Chrissy Teigen joked about her and husband John Legend dropping the checks. “going to bed tonight with my checkmark husband, knowing it will all be over by morning,” (*3*)
Ice-T implied he would not pay for the blue checkmark, and nonetheless had it as of Friday morning.
Twitter additionally started labeling some organizations’ Twitter pages: Gold checks for official companies or companies, grey for authorities organizations and officers, an affiliation badge for accounts related to a company on Twitter, and a badge for state-run media entities and people who’re a part of these entities.
But after many firms like NPR mentioned they had been mislabeled as government-funded or state-affiliated (NPR is a publicly-funded media group), the corporate began stripping these badges.
President Joe Biden and different authorities officers has an computerized grey verify “because it is a government or multilateral organization account,” Twitter explains. Companies like Musks’ SpaceX have gold checks as a result of they’re official organizations on Twitter.
Blue checks go to individuals who “are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number,” Twitter says. That is, except you might be Shatner, James or King.
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