William Shatner, Monica Lewinsky and other prolific Twitter commentators 91裸聊视频� some household names, others little-known journalists 91裸聊视频� could soon be losing the blue check marks that helped verify their identity on the social media platform.
They could get the marks back by paying up to $11 a month. But some longtime users, including 92-year-old Star Trek legend Shatner, have balked at buying the championed by Twitter91裸聊视频檚 billionaire owner and chief executive Elon Musk.
After months of delay, Musk is gleefully promising that Saturday is the deadline for celebrities, journalists and others who91裸聊视频檇 been to pony up or lose their legacy status.
91裸聊视频淚t will be glorious,91裸聊视频� he tweeted Monday, in response to a Twitter user who noted that Saturday is also April Fools91裸聊视频� Day.
After buying Twitter for $44 billion in October, Musk has been trying to boost the struggling platform91裸聊视频檚 revenue by pushing more people to pay for a premium subscription. But his move also reflects his assertion that the blue verification marks have become an undeserved or 91裸聊视频渃orrupt91裸聊视频� status symbol for elite personalities and news reporters.
Along with verifying celebrities, one of Twitter91裸聊视频檚 main reasons to mark profiles with a free blue check mark starting about 14 years ago was to verify politicians, and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, as well as little-known journalists at small publications around the globe, as an extra tool to that are impersonating people.
Lewinsky tweeted a screenshot Sunday of all the people impersonating her, including at least one who appears to have paid for a blue check mark. She asked, 91裸聊视频渨hat universe is this fair to people who can suffer consequences for being impersonated? a lie travels half way around the world before truth even gets out the door.91裸聊视频�
Shatner, known for his irreverent humor, also tagged Musk with a complaint about the promised changes.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e been here for 15 years giving my (clock emoji) & witty thoughts all for bupkis,91裸聊视频� he wrote. 91裸聊视频淣ow you91裸聊视频檙e telling me that I have to pay for something you gave me for free?91裸聊视频�
Musk responded that there shouldn91裸聊视频檛 be a different standard for celebrities. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 more about treating everyone equally,91裸聊视频� Musk tweeted.
For now, those who still have the blue check but apparently haven91裸聊视频檛 paid the premium fee 91裸聊视频� a group that includes Beyonc茅, Stephen King, Barack and Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, Tucker Carlson, Drake and Musk himself 91裸聊视频� have messages appended to their profile saying it is a 91裸聊视频渓egacy verified account. It may or may not be notable.91裸聊视频�
But while 91裸聊视频渢he attention is reasonably on celebrities because of our culture,91裸聊视频� the bigger concern for open government advocate Alex Howard, director of the Digital Democracy Project, is that impersonators could more easily spread rumors and conspiracies that could move markets or harm democracies around the world.
91裸聊视频淭he reason verification exists on this platform was not simply to designate people as notable or authorities, but to prevent impersonation,91裸聊视频� Howard said.
One of Musk91裸聊视频檚 first product moves after was to launch a service granting blue checks to anyone willing to pay $8 a month. But it was quickly inundated by imposter accounts, including those impersonating Nintendo, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Musk91裸聊视频檚 businesses Tesla and SpaceX, so Twitter had to temporarily suspend the service days after its launch.
The relaunched service costs $8 a month for web users and $11 a month for iPhone and iPad users. Subscribers are supposed to see fewer ads, be able to post longer videos and have their tweets featured more prominently.
91裸聊视频擬att O91裸聊视频檅rien, The Associated Press
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