Elon Musk says Twitter will finally remove old tick marks on 4/20
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Image credit: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch
Elon Musk said that Twitter will finally move to remove the old blue checks on April 20 or 20 because he can’t let go of that joke. This is the “final date,” he said in a tweet. If the move goes through, Twitter will only have verification badges for paid users and businesses, and government entities and officials.
The company only announced last month that old tick marks will be removed on April 1. But like many Musk-promised deadlines, the date passed and nothing happened.
Earlier today, Musk gave an interview to the BBC over a Twitter Spaces session. Asked how removing verification marks would affect the spread of disinformation, Musk said “I think the media is a driver of misinformation a lot more than the media will admit that they are.”
Earlier this month, in a now deleted tweetMusk pointed out that the company would give “a few weeks of grace” to older verified accounts.
Last month, Musk also said Twitter would stop recommending unverified accounts on its “For You” algorithmic timeline starting April 15. Recently, the company changed the label that appears when someone taps the verification badge to “This account has been verified because it is a Twitter Blue subscriber or is an older verified account.” This made it harder for people to distinguish between Twitter Blue subscribers and older verified accounts.
The social network is also reportedly working on verification through public ID, which will Twitter Blue users them hide their chins.
In addition, Musk has pushed for businesses and media brands to pay for organization verification that costs $1,000 per month. He took away the New York Times’ endorsement mark after the publication refused to pay for it. Aside from the NYT, other publications such as the Washington Post and Politico have also said they will not pay any fees for verification.
