Twitter Blue Tick: On April 11, Twitter's CEO Elon Musk announced that the legacy blue check marks would be removed from users starting April 20.
Now, Twitter has begun removing the blue ticks that denote official accounts of celebrities, sports stars, and world leaders, and from now on, only users who subscribe to the paid Twitter Blue verification service will be eligible for the coveted badge.
Following the removal of the blue ticks, several users shared screenshots of their profiles without the badge, prompting a flood of memes and jokes on social media.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk's move has triggered numerous reactions, with some users expressing disappointment over the decision.
As per a report by the Associated Press, the original blue-check system on Twitter had around 300,000 verified users, including journalists, athletes, and public figures.
The blue ticks on their profiles signified that their accounts were authenticated. However, this mark of authentication is no longer present on Twitter.
On Thursday, a number of well-known individuals had their verified status removed on social media platform(s).
Among them were political figures such as Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of Congress, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Amit Malviya of the BJP's IT Cell.
Additionally, famous Bollywood actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, as well as popular cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, also lost their blue checkmarks.
Even global icons like Beyoncé, Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey, and former US President Donald Trump were not spared from this action.
