Elon Musk’s latest update to Twitter’s verification system warns that many prominent public figures’ legitimate accounts may or may not be worth mentioning. Before clicking the blue-tick next to these accounts it said that the account was verified because it was notable in government news, entertainment or any other designated category.
Now it is defined as legacy verification. This suggests that many of these users were not actually notable, despite meeting a list of criteria set by the company. Those who acquired the status by paying $8 per month are still labeled as Twitter Blue subscribers, but have downgraded the description to official accounts.
The feature hasn’t rolled out to all devices yet, but several Twitter users have shared screenshots of the confusing system in action. That means public figures like Barack Obama, Donald Trump and even Musk himself have all had warnings that suggest they might be impossible.
Others found humor in the confusion, such as the British political journalist, Alexander Brown, who said he was thoroughly impressed by my new tick justification. Thor Benson shared another screenshot, joking: “The White House? Possibly notable.” And Melissa Martin quipped that she would request whether or not his tombstone could be notable.
But others, such as Andy Orin, point out that this description is simply the new status symbol. Elon Musk first teased the update on November 10, when a tweeter said: The system of lords and peasants will remain in place until all these status markers are changed.
We are changing the text to say “Legacy Verified. Could be notable, but could also be bogus.”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2022
The main tweet replied that it would change the wording as a new update, which has taken about a month to roll out. However, it doesn’t seem like Musk has sorted out the difference between legacy and paid verification, with the latter initially available to anyone willing to pay for Blue Tick.
Twitter Blue was put on hold after several impersonations and a dispute between Elon Musk and Apple over fees on its App Store, but because Twitter is no longer accepting legacy verification requests, there is currently no way to get a blue-tick.