Elon Musk makes another big change to Twitter verification, making it even harder to differentiate genuine blue badges from paid ones
David Joseppi
Posted On 03/04/2023 
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has made it even harder to differentiate genuine blue verification badges from paid ones with his latest shake-up to the platform, with Twitter now changing how it describes blue badges, stripping the verification system of all of its previous meaning.
With Musk’s latest update, Twitter has made “legacy” verified and Twitter Blue verified accounts indistinguishable from one another, a move linked the platform’s plan to axe its “legacy” verified program, which will see the removal of verification badges from accounts that received the checkmark prior to Musk’s takeover of the platform last year.
Previously, clicking or tapping on a blue tick badge in a user’s profile would cause a window to pop up offering one of two explanations. If the badge belonged to a legacy verified account, the text would read, “This account is verified because it’s notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.” In contrast, if the user paid Twitter for their little blue badge, the window would instead read, “This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue.”
Now after Twitter’s recent update, the same message appears regardless of whether the blue tick was earned or bought: “This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account.”
Before Elon Musk’s turbulent acquisition of Twitter, blue verification badges symbolised accounts that had provided information to verify they were genuine and represented the company or individual they claimed they did.
However, as part of Musk’s rampant effort to monetise the platform after his $44 billion buyout, Twitter is now allowing any user worldwide to subscribe and pay to show the platform’s blue verification checkmark on their profile, as well as to gain accesses other paywalled features including the ability to post higher-resolution 1080p videos, share longer tweets, Edit Tweet and Undo Tweet options, and more.
Musk has previously claimed that the legacy verification system was corrupt, saying rogue Twitter employees had been selling blue badges for up to $15k, allowing people to buy the verification checkmark that had previously had been seen as a status symbol by some.
