On Thursday, Twitter began implementing its promise to remove the “blue checks” from accounts that do not pay a monthly fee to maintain their verification status. This move has affected many notable Indian Twitter accounts, including those of Rahul Gandhi, Salman Khan, Virat Kohli, Shah Rukh Khan, PV Sindhu, and others, who had been verified under the platform’s legacy verification system.
Twitter had approximately 300,000 verified users under the original blue-check system, including journalists, athletes, and public figures. However, with the recent policy change, high-profile Indian users lost their blue checks, with the exception of those accounts marked as government organizations.
The costs associated with maintaining verification range from $8 per month for individual web users to a starting price of $1,000 per month for organizations, in addition to $50 per month for each affiliate or employee account.
It’s important to note that Twitter no longer verifies individual accounts, which is a departure from the previous practice of granting blue checks during the platform’s pre-Elon Musk administration.
This move by Twitter has sparked discussions and debates about the significance and implications of verification on the platform, especially for public figures and organizations who have lost their blue checks. It remains to be seen how this policy change will impact the landscape of verified accounts on Twitter in the future.
