Twitter reinstates legacy blue tick on high-profile accounts
The Hindu
While there is no official word from Twitter on the reinstated blue ticks, the company is reportedly restoring the verified status for accounts with high follower count.
In a surprising turn of events, Twitter has restored verification badges on several high-profile celebrity accounts with millions of followers, just days after the microblogging platform culled the legacy blue checkmarks for non-paying users.
The move assumes significance as Indian celebrities and top politicians from Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lost verified blue ticks on their Twitter accounts this week after Elon Musk-led microblogging site started removing checkmark icons from accounts that did not pay a subscription fee.
The coveted blue ticks have now made a surprising comeback on accounts of these celebrities. Top cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli who lost the blue tick mark on their Twitter handles, have also got them back.
It was not immediately clear whether or not these accounts have paid for the verification.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah - who got the blue tick back on his Twitter handle - tweeted that he did not pay for it. "Apparently I've paid for Twitter Blue & given them a phone number to verify except that I haven't. Mr. Musk are you paying for mine as well?" Mr. Abdullah tweeted.
Also read: Indians to pay monthly ₹900 for Twitter’s blue tick on mobile, ₹6,800 per year for web
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai took to Twitter to express her surprise and delight at getting the blue tick reinstated.