Indian Cricketers Lose Twitter ‘Blue Tick’ Overnight

Twitter users were in for a surprise when they noticed that several current and former Indian cricketing heroes had lost their verification ticks on the platform. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni all lost their blue ticks Twitter had started removing ‘legacy verified ticks’ since Elon Musk took over the company last year. However, this time Twitter has come up with a catch; users will have to pay a monthly subscription fee for the verified badge, which is now mandatory. Even Sachin Tendulkar, who is considered a living legend of the sport, lost his coveted blue badge on the platform. Cristiano Ronaldo, who is one of the greatest footballers in history, also suffered the same fate. This move by Twitter has come under scrutiny as many believe that verification badges should remain free of cost.

Twitter has experienced some notable changes since Elon Musk took over. One significant modification is how the coveted blue checkmarks are handed out. Previously, these were awarded to individuals, journalists, executives, politicians, and establishments to denote authenticity. But under Musk’s ownership, these have become harder to attain. Musk announced in November that Twitter will start charging $8 per month for the badge, extending its revenue streams beyond advertising. Additionally, checkmarks in other colors have been introduced, with gold signifying businesses and gray indicating government and multilateral institutions and officials. This development has sparked quite a buzz among Twitter users, and many have been eagerly looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

Twitter has updated its verification system to now include labels such as “state-affiliated” and “automated by.” This allows users to easily identify if an account is linked to a government or if it is a bot. However, these labels aren’t the only new addition to Twitter’s verification process. Individuals looking to verify their accounts will have to pay a monthly fee of $8, while organizations will have to pay a starting price of $1,000 monthly. Despite these costs, it seems that some users are still opting for verification, with basketball superstar LeBron James still proudly displaying his blue checkmark on his account.