Twitter removes verification badges from non-paying ‘legacy’ verified accounts
Tom Sykes
Posted On 20/04/2023 
Twitter has officially started to remove the iconic blue verification badge from ‘legacy’ verified accounts that received the checkmark prior to Musk’s takeover of the platform last year, leaving users with no way to differentiate the accounts of many genuine, previously verified businesses, public figures, celebrities, and more from impersonators.
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 access 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 privately selling blue badges for up to $15k, allowing people to buy the verification checkmark that had previously been seen as a status symbol by some.
For ‘legacy’ verified accounts to retain their blue badges, users will need to pay for the Twitter Blue subscription service, which adds a blue badge to any paying account, or join the higher-priced $1,000/month Twitter Verified Organizations subscription, which gives subscribers a golden checkmark rather than the familiar blue badge.
