Elon Musk Vows to Soon ‘Remove All Legacy Blue Checks’ From Twitter

HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Elon Musk, Twitter’s controversial new owner, declared on Monday that he will soon “remove all legacy blue checks.”

“In a few months, we will remove all legacy blue checks. The way in which they were given out was corrupt and nonsensical,” Musk wrote in a reply to a tweet noting the new caption for many blue check marks that previously received verification.

The tweet was a screen capture of that caption, which read, “This is a legacy verified account. It may or may not be notable.” The Twitter user commented on the photo, writing, “ruthless.”

Musk, in an effort to generate new streams of revenue for the financially strained social media giant, launched a new subscription service last month called Twitter blue.

“Twitter Blue is an opt-in, paid subscription that adds a blue checkmark to your account and offers early access to select features, like Edit Tweet. Subscribe now on web for $8/month or iOS for $11/month to get the blue checkmark in addition to early access to features,” reads Twitter’s website boosting the new model.

Critics of paid-for verification on the platform argue that it will alter users’ ability to source accurate information as established news sources or prominent figures will either have no verification or appear with a similar blue check mark as paying users.

Many verified users have publicly stated they will not pay for the check mark, including a back and forth between Fox News anchors Dana Perino and Kat Timpf who in early November called it “embarrassing.”