Recently, Twitter's verification process has generated a lot of controversy, and it appears that Elon Musk is at the epicenter of the most recent commotion. Some prominent social media users over the weekend, including some deceased celebrities, had their accounts abruptly re-verified for no apparent reason.
A few days ago, nearly all of the blue verified checkmarks on Twitter's accounts that had been created prior to Musk acquiring the service were erased. The prior verification procedure, according to Musk, was corrupt and full of partiality, therefore he planned to charge users $8 per month to receive that coveted checkmark. However, things changed when Musk personally confirmed the accounts of three famous Twitter users, including LeBron James, Stephen King, and
Now, it appears that Musk's checkmark policy has taken yet another unexpected turn. According to Rolling Stone, Twitter has given the blue checkmark to numerous accounts with more than a million followers, including Ian McKellen, who played Smaug in the X-Men and Lord of the Rings. McKellen was keen to reassure his followers that he did not purchase the badge, despite the fact that some people would presume he did.
That's not all, though. The turmoil increased when Twitter added posthumous blue checks to the profiles of celebrities who had passed away, including Michael Jackson, Anthony Bourdain, Norm Macdonald, Chadwick Boseman, and Kobe Bryant. This action was taken when the platform started to delete older verifications and changed its focus to just showing the checks on accounts that have subscribed to Twitter Blue.
But more than just the verification system has drawn attention. In recent times, Twitter has referred to the accounts of media organizations including NPR, the BBC, and PBS as being "state-affiliated" or "government-funded." However, the accounts that previously possessed those labels have since had them removed. The renowned author of the history of Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson, who is purportedly working on a comparable biography of Musk, made a suggestion that led to this decision, according to NPR.com.
It was reportedly a manual procedure to remove the legacy blue ticks, so it is plausible that this will also be a manual operation that will last for the next few days. Former workers allege that the procedure makes use of a sizable internal database resembling an Excel spreadsheet that has a history of malfunctioning.
One thing is certain: Elon Musk keeps us on our toes while the controversy around Twitter's authentication method plays out.