Twitter Removes Blue Ticks from High-Profile Indian Accounts, Including Sachin Tendulkar and Shah Rukh Khan
21-04-2023 : Twitter has removed the verified blue ticks from the accounts of prominent figures in India’s film industry, politics, and sports. This includes Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, PV Sindhu, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, CM Yogi Adityanath, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi. Previously, the blue ticks were granted for free to verify the identity of public figures and prevent impersonation and spam on social media platform.
However, Twitter has now removed the blue ticks from accounts that do not pay a monthly subscription fee. This move has affected Indian sports icons such as MS Dhoni, Saina Nehwal, Neeraj Chopra, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sunil Chhetri. Additionally, international sporting icons such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, and Stephen Curry have also lost their verified status on Twitter. Going forward, only individuals and organizations who pay for the premium Twitter Blue subscription will receive the verified credential on their profiles, which is available for a monthly fee of Rs 650 on the web and Rs 900 on mobile devices.
Over 400,000 legacy verified users lost their Blue check marks, while some celebrities were given complimentary Twitter Blue subscriptions “on behalf of Musk.” Musk personally paid for William Shatner, LeBron James, and Stephen King to keep their verified status. However, Stephen King tweeted that he did not subscribe to Twitter Blue or provide a phone number, to which Musk replied, “You’re welcome namaste.” The Pope, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, and Oprah Winfrey all lost their verified status, while Rihanna and Taylor Swift remained verified, although it was uncertain whether they purchased it or Musk allowed it. Actress Halle Berry tweeted that she would join the unverified users, indicating that she would not pay Musk for the Blue badge. Numerous NBA players, including Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant, also lost their Blue check marks.
