On Thursday, a lot of well-known celebrities, including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, lost their blue verified tick on Twitter.
In the past, Twitter gave blue ticks to journalists, celebrities, and other well-known individuals to aid in the social media platform’s fight against spam and impersonation. The microblogging service has removed blue ticks from accounts that do not have a Twitter Blue subscription as of April 20, 2022.
A few of the Indian sports legends that have lost their verified status are MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Neeraj Chopra, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Nikhat Zareen, Sania Mirza, and Sunil Chhetri. Tennis great Roger Federer, basketball icon Stephen Curry, players Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo, and tennis champion Rafael Nadal all lost their verification status.
Only users and businesses with a current Twitter Blue subscription will have verified credentials visible on their profiles going forward.Tendulkar was asked how his followers could verify his genuine account without the blue mark during an online Q&A session called #AskSachin. “As of right now, this is my blue-tick verification,” tweeted Sachin.
As of now, this is my blue tick verification! 😬 https://t.co/BSk5U0zKkp pic.twitter.com/OEqBTM1YL2
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 21, 2023
There have been a variety of responses to this decision. While some contend that this subscription-based strategy will make it more difficult for bots and trolls to pose as well-known individuals and influential figures, others contend that it is unjust to restrict access to verified status to those who can afford it.
As a result of this modification to Twitter’s rules, several well-known people have lost their verified status, sparking an outcry on social media. It is yet unclear whether the platform will remain genuine and legal in the wake of this move.