Twitter has suspended its new blue tick verification system after the social media platform was inundated by a wave of imposter accounts.
This Premium “Twitter Blue” Anyone can get the service for £6.99 a month in the UK ($8 a month in the US) – it has previously been used to verify accounts of public figures, including celebrities and journalists, that have been vetted and confirmed to be authentic account.
But the revamped model has proven it Lots of fake accounts – An imitation of Jesus Christ is verified.
The people behind the satirical account who like to remain anonymous started it 14 years ago in 2006.
He told Business Insider: “Even though I’ve had it for that long, I’m not sure I’d be able to verify it.”
“I applied for verification before and got rejected, but when Elon Musk changed the verification rules and you could subscribe to Twitter Blue and buy verified checks, I knew my time had finally come. It was immediate. I bought it Twitter Blue subscription, and when I’m done confirming Apple Pay and reopening Twitter, I’m verified.”
Another fake account claimed insulin was free, forcing an apology from US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.
only two weeks later Spend $44 billion to control Twitter October, new owner Elon Musk Already seen his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, have accounts impersonated.
The world’s richest man also appears to have two verified accounts, one of which, by the name of @JoshMalina, declared on Wednesday: “Good night. Twitter clean up now”.
Suspension comes hours after warning from billionaire entrepreneur Twitter may face bankruptcyHave laid off half the workforce.
His new vision has prompted high-profile users, including Stephen Fry, to deactivate their accounts – as advertisers have also raised concerns about the platform’s viability.
“There are so many corrupt legacy blue ‘verify’ checkmarks that there is no choice but to remove legacy blue in the coming months,” Musk tweeted Thursday.
However, he also claimed that Twitter hit an “all-time high in active users” on Friday, adding: “Twitter usage continues to rise.
“One thing’s for sure: it’s not boring!”
There are now two types of “blue checks” – but they look the same.
Elon Musk completes Twitter takeover in $44bn (£38bn) deal
One, including verified accounts before Musk took over, read: “This account is verified because it is notable in government, news, entertainment, or other specified categories.”
Another confirmed that the account subscribed to Twitter Blue.
Twitter Blue is not available on the online version of the platform, which says it can only be registered on the iPhone version. However, the iPhone version doesn’t offer Twitter Blue as an option.
The platform seems undecided on whether to add the “official” label to some high-profile accounts, rolling them out first and then removing them hours beforehand.
Musk and Twitter’s own accounts, as well as global brands including Amazon, Nike and Coca-Cola, have no “official” status.