Twitter has removed legacy blue verified badges from profiles not subscribed to Twitter Blue subscription.
As promised by the company owner Elon Musk earlier this month, Twitter users who got verified under the old regime will lose the coveted blue tick if they do not pay before April 20 – 4/20.
Twitter had initially planned to remove legacy verified badges from April 1, but only select users lost the blue tick from their profile.
Prominent organisations and popular personalities have lost their checkmarks, with many tweeting about their decision to not subscribe to Twitter Blue.
KCCA FC tweeted, “Where is our blue tick @elonmusk 🤔?”
“Hey, world. I just lost my blue tick. But this is still my official account,” journalist Daniel Lutaaya tweeted.
Many government agencies, nonprofits and public-service accounts also lost the checkmark, raising concerns about how the public will be able to distinguish official channels of information from other accounts during public events or emergencies.
Elon Musk launched Twitter Blue last year after buying the social media platform for $44bn, introducing an $8 (about Shs30000) monthly charge for the blue tick as well as a number of other features.