new York
Cnn
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Some VIP Twitter users woke up on Saturday by expecting to have lost their marks of coveted blue verification check in a purge previously announced by Elon Musk. Instead, Twitter seemed to target a single account from a major Musk publication does not like and has changed the language on its site in a way that masks why users are verified.
Twitter Had Said It Would “Begin Winding Down” Blue Checks Grants Grants Old Verification System-Which Emphasized Protecting High-Profile Users at Risk of Imperse-On April 1. In order to stay verified, Musk Said, USERS WOULD HAVE TO PAY Platform’s Twitter Blue Subscription Service, which has allowed Accounts to be paid for verification since December.
Most inherited peacekeepers have found this weekend that their verification notes had not disappeared, But had rather been annexed with a new reading label: “This account is verified because it is subscribed to Twitter Blue or is an inherited verified account.” The language, which appears when users click on the check mark, does not know if the accounts verified are in fact notable individuals or simply users who paid to join Twitter Blue.
But a high level account lost its blue check on weekends: the main account of the New York Times, which had previously said to CNN that he would not pay for verification.
After an account which often engages with Musk has published a meme this weekend on time refusing to pay the verification, Musk responded in a tweet By saying: “Oh ok, we will remove it then.” Musk then unleashed in Times – just the last case of the billionaire slamming journalists or the media – in a series of tweets This said that the coverage of the point of sale is boring and “propaganda”.
The weekend movements are only the latest example of Twitter creating confusion and cervical boost for changes in functionality-and in this case, not only all users, but many of the most publicized accounts which have long been a key sales argument for the platform. He also underlines how Musk often seems to guide decisions concerning the platform more by whims than by politics.
Although the main story of the New York Times has lost its blue check, its other accounts, such as those of its artistic content, travel and books, remained checked. (It is not clear why the New York Times does not have a home of “organizations” in gold, such as accounts for other media, including the Associated Press and the Washington Post.) After the abolition of its blue check, a spokesperson for the New York Times reiterated to CNN that he did not plan to pay for verification.
Twitter, who dismissed most of his public relations staff last fall, did not immediately respond to a comment request.
In a separate confusing movement, the Twitter Blue Bird logo at the top of the site was replaced Monday by Doge, the same representing the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, which Musk promoted. Dogecoin price increased by 20% on Monday.
Musk threatened to withdraw the notes of blue check “inherited” to the verified users in the old Twitter system for a short time after buying Twitter last fall.
At the beginning of November, Twitter launched the option so that people pay for his Blue Twitter subscription service to receive blue checks. The program was quickly paid after being prey to a wave of celebrities and business imitators, and was relaunched in December.
Twitter has also deployed a color code check system with differently colored brands for businesses and government entities, but Musk has continued to say that individual users should possibly pay for blue checks.
In the days preceding the blue check purge which was not, Eminent users such as actor William Shatner and anti-intimidation activist Monica Lewinksy have pushed the idea that, as a powerful user who drew attention to the site, they should have to pay a feature that holds them from identity.
By grinding the reasons why the accounts are verified, the new label may risk facilitating the scam or identity identity of high -level users. Experts in inauthentic behavior also said that it is not clear that the remunerated users’ verification reserve would reduce the number of robots on the site, a problem that Musk has raised and disabled in the past year.
Musk, for his part, previously presented changes to the Twitter verification system as a means of “treating everyone as well”.
“There should not be a different standard for celebrities,” he said in a tweet last week. Paid functionality could also generate income, which could help Musk, which is on the point of significant debt after buying Twitter for $ 44 billion.
Musk last week also said that from April 15, only verified accounts would be recommended in the “for you” flows of users alongside the accounts they follow.
–The Oliver Darcy of CNN contributed to this report.