Several high-profile individuals, including musicians Diamond Platnumz, Zuchu, Wizkid, and Davido, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, Kenyan politician DP Rigathi Gachagua, and sports personality Carol Radull, have had their Twitter verification badges removed.
The blue check mark, which appears next to an account’s name, indicates that it has an active subscription to Twitter Blue and meets the platform’s eligibility requirements. The verification badge is often seen as a mark of prestige and trustworthiness on the social media platform.
Twitter began removing the badges en masse on April 20, although the process started on April 1, with a few accounts losing their blue check marks. It’s unclear why these particular accounts have lost their verification badges, but it’s worth noting that Twitter has previously said that it reserves the right to remove the badges if a version no longer meets its eligibility criteria.
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To receive or retain the blue check mark, an account must have a display name and profile photo, be active in the past 30 days, be older than 30 days upon subscription with a confirmed phone number, have no recent changes to the profile photo, display name, or username, show no signs of being misleading or deceptive, and show no signs of engaging in platform manipulation and spam.
Also Read: National Public Radio Leaves Twitter, Citing Credibility Concerns and Editorial Independence
Twitter’s decision to remove the badges from some high-profile accounts is part of its ongoing efforts to minimize confusion and promote integrity on the platform. The move follows similar actions by other social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, to crack down on fake accounts and misinformation.
It’s unclear if the affected celebrities will attempt to regain their verification badges, but it’s worth noting that Elon Musk is now charging $8 a month for verification through Twitter
