Twitter gave some of its loudest critics blue verification checkmarks for free, which recently became paid for. This apparently happened on Saturday (April 21, 2023) in a concerted action, as Mashable reports .
The phenomenon is called “spite checkmarks” because they were given out of spite to critics of the Twitter subscription. A Twitch streamer named Hasan Piker, who is one of the recipients of such a tick, wrote: “I have no idea how this happened. “I absolutely did not pay for Twitter Blue.”
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Giving the verification checkmarks to critics has worried some users and raised questions about Twitter's motives.
Previously, the white checkmarks on a blue background were given free of charge to celebrities and public figures after they passed an identity check. After tech billionaire Musk acquired the platform, he called the system "corrupt" and announced that only Blue subscribers would have the icon, which looks exactly the same as before, in their accounts. However, this is not a real verification, but rather just the confirmation of a telephone number.
Concerns about legal issues after returning verification checkmarks on the platform
Some users have expressed concerns about whether Twitter could face legal trouble by returning the checkmarks if the declaration text incorrectly states that a celebrity has taken out a paid subscription. On Sunday, the accounts of deceased stars such as actor Chadwick Boseman and basketball player Kobe Bryant were also marked with the symbol.
Actor Patton Oswalt and model Chrissy Teigen have tried to immediately get rid of the once coveted ticks. The celebrities made it a point to emphasize that they do not pay any money to Elon Musk's Twitter.
Call to block Blue subscribers – and other blue ticks
To get rid of the check mark, Oswalt briefly changed his profile name. According to Twitter's rules, an account can only have a check mark if the name, profile picture or account name has not been changed recently.
A movement led, among others, by musician Max Collins from the rock band Eve 6, called for Blue subscribers to be blocked. The profile @BlockTheBlue spread the trend. After the profile was blocked by Twitter, the campaign continued under the hashtag #BlockTheBlueChecks. The accounts with the new blue symbols include many Musk fans who share his right-wing political views. Collins wrote in a tweet:
“Verification meant that a person is an actor or journalist or something similar. Now it means it’s a white nationalist with 30 followers or someone selling cryptocurrencies.”
Other celebrities such as Lebron James, Stephen King and William Shatner have also emerged as critics of Twitter Blue. These celebrities were then also given the free verification checkmark, which Elon Musk presented as a kind of gift. However, the Twitter CEO has not commented on the current “Spite Checkmarks”. Giving blue ticks to critics has caused discussion and concern among users.
Sources:
Standard , Futurezone
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