Twitter to Remove ‘Legacy’ Verified Badges in April, Reserving Blue Check-Marks for Paying Subscribers

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Twitter will remove legacy blue check-marks in April, making them exclusive to paying subscribers of Twitter Blue and Twitter Verified Organizations.

Twitter Blue subscribers can retain their blue check-mark status for $8 per month via the web or $11 per month through in-app payment on iOS and Android.

New badges for companies and government accounts have been introduced, with gold check-marks for companies and gray check-marks for government accounts.

Elon Musk's influence on Twitter has led to a shift towards subscription services and revamped verification processes to reduce impersonations.

Twitter's turbulent transition under Musk includes hundreds of layoffs and resignations, paywalled features, and hints of possible bankruptcy.

Twitter has announced the end of its legacy verified program, starting April 1.

The company will remove the blue check-mark status from accounts verified as notable before Elon Musk’s takeover unless users subscribe to Twitter Blue or the business-oriented Twitter Verified Organizations plan.

Individual users can maintain their blue check-mark by subscribing to Twitter Blue at a monthly cost of $8 via the web or $11 through in-app payment on iOS and Android.

New Check-mark Badges for Companies and Government Accounts

Twitter has introduced gold check-marks for companies and brands and shifted government accounts to gray check-marks.

To retain these badges, organizations will need to subscribe to the new Twitter Verified Organizations program.

In the U.S., the program costs $1,000 per month (plus tax) and an additional $50 per month (plus tax) for each affiliate subaccount.

Musk’s Influence on Twitter Verification

Musk, who bought Twitter last year in a $44 billion debt-heavy deal, criticized the old verification system as “corrupt” and changed the process to allow anyone to obtain a blue check-mark.

The number of verified accounts before Musk’s takeover exceeded 420,000, and the description of legacy verified accounts was altered to state that they “may or may not be notable.”

Twitter Blue accounts will retain the blue check-mark, while organizations will be identified by gold check-marks.

The launch of Twitter Blue as a premium service, offering the check-mark badge among its perks, was temporarily suspended due to a surge of fake and parody accounts.

The service relaunched with new measures to prevent impersonations.

Twitter’s Shift towards Subscription Services

In a companywide memo, Musk stated that roughly half of Twitter’s revenue should come from subscription services.

He warned that without significant subscription revenue, Twitter might not survive the upcoming economic downturn.

Verification Changes and Other Updates

Twitter Blue accounts will retain the blue check-mark, while organizations will be identified by gold check-marks.

Government officials will be represented by gray check-marks to prevent the spread of misinformation.

Apart from verification updates, Twitter has also locked text-based two-factor authentication (2FA) behind the Twitter Blue paywall.

This move followed reported issues with Twitter’s 2FA in November.

A Turbulent Takeover

Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has been marked by a series of events, including a withdrawn offer, lawsuits, and accusations.

His takeover has seen hundreds of layoffs and resignations, reports of a paywalled video feature, and Musk hinting at the possibility of bankruptcy.