New Delhi: The legacy verified blue ticks from all accounts were removed by the microblogging platform Twitter on Thursday.Individual Twitter users who have verified blue checkmarks are those who pay for Twitter Blue, which costs USD 8 per month via the web and USD 11 per month via in-app payment on iOS and Android. In the recent development, several political leaders including UP CM Yogi Adiyanath, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, and CM Mamata Banerjee have lost their blue ticks from their twitter accounts.


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Variety reports that the microblogging site will remove the verified check-mark status of accounts that were verified as notable before to Elon Musk's takeover unless they have subscribed to Twitter Blue or the business-focused Twitter Verified Organisations plan. Initially, the blue tick was used to safeguard well-known people against impersonation and to combat incorrect information.


Earlier in March, Twitter posted from their official handle that, "On April 1st, we will begin winding down our legacy verified program and removing legacy verified checkmarks. To keep your blue checkmark on Twitter, individuals can sign up for Twitter Blue.


The blue tick mark system was first implemented on Twitter in 2009 to assist users in determining whether celebrities, politicians, firms and brands, news organizations, and other accounts "of public interest" were authentic and not imposters or parody accounts. Previously, the company did not charge for verification. Within two weeks of the company's acquisition last year, Musk unveiled Twitter Blue with the check-mark emblem as one of the premium bonuses.


Users who still had a blue tick on Thursday received a popup window informing them that their account is confirmed because they had subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number. Simply put, verifying a phone number indicates that the person has a phone number and has confirmed that they have access to it. It does not confirm the individual's identification.


It wasn't just celebrities and journalists who were laid off on Thursday. Many government agencies, nonprofits, and public-service accounts around the world were no longer verified, prompting fears that Twitter's standing as a platform for accessing reliable, up-to-date information from authentic sources, including in emergencies, could be affected