Despite Twitter Elon Musk has disabled verified badges for previously verified accounts and has personally confirmed that he has given Twitter Blue to several celebrity accounts. Twitter Blue is the social media platform’s optional subscription-based verification system, which requires users to pay around $8 per month for a blue tick next to their username. Twitter Blue also offers several other benefits, including being prioritized over other users on searches and threads. Musk has ruled that some celebrities deserve the free Twitter Blue experience, although this has caused some controversy.
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Blue ticks on Twitter have long indicated that the platform has verified the account user’s identity, a step taken not only to help users find out which accounts are official, but also to prevent fake accounts and impersonation . Musk’s first attempt to get rid of this old system caused a lot of controversy, as impersonations led to mass confusion about which celebrity, corporate, and politician accounts were official. That caused a delay in Musk’s Twitter Blue plans, but he has continued the effort.
Beginning April 15, only Twitter Blue subscribers would see a blue tick next to their username on the platform. Musk attributed the decision to “addressing the adoption of advanced AI bot swarms.” The decision wasn’t well received by everyone on Twitter, however, with many major accounts openly saying they wouldn’t pay for Twitter Blue. Author Stephen King is a notable example, saying back in October 2022 that Twitter should pay him instead. Musk obviously hasn’t forgotten that comment.
Several prominent users have now discovered that their accounts continue to have Twitter’s blue ticks despite not having paid for the service. Musk has since confirmed that he is “personally paying a few.” The list of users Musk pays to subscribe includes William Shatner, LeBron James and Stephen King, all of whom were verified by Twitter prior to Musk’s changes.
What’s particularly odd about the situation is that Twitter Blue includes a layer of personal verification. All Twitter Blue subscribers must verify a phone number and personally confirm the security of their account. This is not what these celebrities appear to have done, with Stephen King specifically stating that he has not subscribed to Twitter Blue nor provided a phone number. Also, there’s no way to gift Twitter Blue, meaning Musk hasn’t funded these celebrities’ subscriptions enough for Twitter itself to make exceptions for those three accounts.
Musk has previously said that Twitter Blue is “more about treating everyone equally,” but his decision to keep Shatner, James, and King’s accounts verified contradicts that. Some believe Musk is doing it as some kind of joke or to piss off the celebrities. Others say Musk tries to keep popular Twitter accounts prominently visible, whether they subscribe or not. Regardless, it’s just the latest example of Musk’s continued unpredictable approach to running Twitter.
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