Twitter suspended its newly relaunched blue tick verification system after the social media platform was flooded with a wave of imposter accounts.
The premium “Twitter Blue” the service is available to anyone for £ 6.99 per month in the UK ($ 8 per month in the US), having previously been used to authenticate accounts of public figures, including celebrities and journalists, who had been vetted and confirmed as authentic.
But the revamped model gave credit a myriad of fake accounts – with a parody that claims to be Jesus Christ getting the verification.
The person behind the satirical tale, who prefers to remain anonymous, started it 14 years ago in 2006.
“Even though I have had it for so long, I was never sure I could verify it,” he told Business Insider.
“I already applied for verification and was declined, but when Elon Musk changed the verification rules and you could sign up for Twitter Blue and purchase a verified check, I knew it was finally my time. It was instant. I bought Twitter Blue subscription and when I finished confirming Apple Pay and reopened Twitter, I was verified. “
Another fake account claimed insulin was free, forcing US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co to apologize.
Only fifteen days later paying $ 44 billion to take control of Twitter new owner in October Elon Musk saw his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, impersonated accounts.
And the richest man in the world also appears to have two verified accounts, including one operating under the name of @JoshMalina who proclaimed Wednesday, “Good night. Twitter cleanup starts now.”
The suspension took place a few hours after the billionaire entrepreneur’s warning Twitter could risk bankruptcyhaving half of the workforce laid off.
His new vision has prompted high-profile users, including Stephen Fry, to deactivate their accounts, as advertisers also raise concerns about the platform’s survival.
Musk posted on Thursday: “There are too many ‘verification’ ticks of the corrupted blue inheritance, so there is no choice but to remove the blue inheritance in the coming months.”
However, he also said that Twitter hit an “all-time high of active users” on Friday, adding, “Twitter usage continues to increase.
“One thing is certain: it’s not boring!”
There are now two categories of “blue ticks” – but they look identical.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Elon Musk has completed his $ 44 billion (£ 38 billion) acquisition of Twitter.
One includes accounts verified before Musk took over, which state, “This account is verified because it is notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.”
The other confirms that the account subscribes to Twitter Blue.
Twitter Blue was not available on the online version of the platform, which said registration was only possible on the iPhone version. However, the iPhone version did not offer Twitter Blue as an option.
The platform also seems undecided about adding “official” labels to some prominent accounts, throwing them before deleting them hours earlier.
Musk and Twitter accounts, along with global brands including Amazon, Nike and Coca-Cola, do not have “official” status.
