Twitter returns verified badge to some celebrities even without signature

Controversy erupted on Twitter after many media accounts and celebrities appeared without the blue verified badge. However, the company “kicked back” in its decision and restored the blue mark to certain recognized figures and personalities.

At the end of October 2022, the company was acquired by Elon Musk for 44,000 million dollars and he was the one who warned that the users badge would disappear and could only be obtained by those who paid US$ 8 per month for the “Blue Twitter”a subscription that offers various benefits such as the badge and less ads.

However, only 5% of the 407,000 verified profiles agreed to pay to receive the verification mark, so last week they discovered they had lost the mark within the social network. The statement is travis browndeveloper of monitoring programs for social networks in Berlin, according to the AFP agency.

In any case, given the strong claims made by the affected figures and celebrities, several of them returned to recover the blue check a day or two later, without having paid for the service. They include former US President, donald trumpthe writer Stephen King and NBA Champion LeBron James.

“I’m paying some personally”, said Musk on Twitter, although he explained that he only paid financially for the signing of King, LeBron and the actor William Shatner.

In turn, the seal has also been reinstated for some media outlets, such as the AFP agency and the New York Times, companies that have a gold mark reserved for organizations that pay at least US$ 1,000 per month.

In the case of other celebrities, such as Ellen DeGeneres, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Taylor Swift It is Britney Spearsthe famous also continue to use the blue visa in their accounts, although it is not known if they also received an exception from Musk or if they paid the fee corresponding to the subscription.

Bill Gates, Justin Bieber It is Cristiano Ronaldo it was other international figures who missed the mark and then regained it.

AS./ds