Elon Musk removes legacy blue ticks on Twitter, only few celebs get to keep

Chaos prevailed on Twitter on Friday, as Elon Musk finally removed all legacy blue checkmarks from verified accounts but allowed some celebrities to retain it.

In India, one has to shell out Rs 900 a month (or Rs 9,400 a year) to get Twitter Blue 'verified' status.

As more than 4 lakh verified legacy users bid goodbye to the blue ticks, some celebrities have been offered a complimentary Twitter Blue subscription "on behalf of Musk".

"I am paying for a few personally," said Musk.

"Just William Shatner, LeBron James and Stephen King," he added. Stephen King tweeted: "My Twitter account says I've subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven't. My Twitter account says I've given a phone number. I haven't".

Musk replied: "You're welcome namaste."

The Pope got downgraded, along with Beyonce, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey. Rihanna and Taylor Swift still had Blue ticks but it was not clear whether they bought it or Musk allowed those to remain.

"Me joining you all tomorrow unverified," tweeted actress Halle Berry, indicating she is not going to pay Musk for the Blue badge.

Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Virat Kohli have also lost their Twitter blue ticks.

Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is among the politicians who have lost their blue tick.

Earlier in March, Twitter had announced, "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." Later, the deadline for removing the blue tick was extended till April 20.

It is worth recalling here that Twitter had first introduced the blue checkmark system in 2009 to stop impersonation. But Musk made Twitter Blue (with access to the checkmark badge) one of the premium perks immediately after taking over the company.