Elon Musk is handing out Free Twitter Blue checkmarks.
In this photo illustration, The Twitter profile of Elon Musk, with more than 80 million followers, is shown on a cell phone on April 25, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois. It was announced today that Twitter had accepted a $44 billion bid from Musk to acquire the company.
Because of this, many people think that the billionaire is just trolling. This is because Twitter accounts that received free Blue checkmarks are owned by those who criticize the tech executive for the paid verification marks.
It all started when numerous Twitter users started the movement #BlockTheBlue. After this activity gained traction, Musk decided to give away free Blue checkmarks.
Free Twitter Blue Checkmarks From Elon Musk?
According to Business Insider's latest report, many Twitter accounts of celebrities, journalists, and other popular individuals have already received Blue checkmarks for free.
Also Read: Elon Musk Twitter: CEO Claims US Government Had 'Full Access' to the Public's DMs
One of them is the New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. He said that his Blue checkmark returned, although he didn't pay for the subscription service.
"So my blue check has reappeared. I had nothing to do with that, and am definitely not paying," said Krugman in his official Twitter post.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 23, 2023
In the comment section, Elon Musk replied with a picture of a crying toddler with the Blue checkmark logo.
Aside from Paul, Mashable journalist Matt Binder also confirmed that Musk gave him a free Twitter Bluecheckmark.
Binder explained that Elon started giving away free Blue checkmarks after the #BlockTheBlue campaign started to gain attention from many Twitter users.
The journalist added that the free Twitter Blue checkmarks clearly show that the campaign is getting to the billionaire.
Removal of Twitter Legacy Marks
To further promote his Twitter Blue subscription service, Elon Musk decided to start removing the Twitter legacy verification marks.
NBC News reported that Musk initially planned to remove the legacy blue checks on Apr. 1. However, this didn't happen.
After that, the billionaire announced a new deadline, which was on Apr. 20. Last Thursday, many celebrities already lost their legacy checkmarks.
These include Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, and Katy Perry.
However, because many Twitter users showed the intent to boycott accounts that paid for the Blue subscription service, Elon had to give away free Blue checkmarks.
In other news, Elon Musk announced that Twitter Blue subscribers could take advantage of his ask-me-anything service.
We also reported about the new study, which claims that quitting Twitter and TikTok is difficult to do despite their issues.
For more news updates about Twitter and other social media platforms, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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