Legacy Twitter verification — or those who did not pay for “blue checks” next to their handles — will end starting Saturday, April 1, according to Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
That means anyone that was verified under the previous administration of the social media site, generally celebrities, journalists, athletes and companies — will no longer retain the mark that says they are who they say they are unless they pay $8 a month for Twitter Blue.
Major outlets like The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times recently declared they won’t be paying the $1,000 a month Musk and Twitter are demanding for companies to keep verification, nor the $50 a month for associated brands or employees.
New: The New York Times says it is not planning to pay for Twitter verification:
"We aren't planning to pay the monthly fee for verification of our institutional Twitter accounts," a spokesperson tells me.
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) March 30, 2023
But it’s not just businesses that are rejecting the premise of paying for something that literally just indicates you’re the real person you say you are. NBA superstar LeBron James was one of the first to take to Twitter on Friday to say he wouldn’t be paying to keep that little blue checkmark.
Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. 🤷🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 31, 2023
He wasn’t alone.
WARNING: Some of these tweets include NSFW language.