On April 20, 2023, Twitter (as of now X) began removing verification status for notable individuals, causing a controversy among Twitter users. The website's system altered, making verification require payment, an act which saw much criticism.
Background
Twitter verification
In May 2009, then-manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, Tony La Russa, sued Twitter after an account on the service began impersonating him, alleging that Twitter abetted in defaming his likeness. The lawsuit included the feed of @TonyLaRussa, a Twitter account not owned by La Russa, with the first tweet in the feed referencing the deaths of Cardinals pitchers Darryl Kile and Josh Hancock. In response, Twitter introduced a verification system known as "Verified Accounts", and settled the lawsuit with La Russa. In a blog post titled, "Not Playing Ball", then-CEO Biz Stone wrote that Twitter "[recognizes] an opportunity to improve [its] user experience". The blog post provides an image of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s emergency account with a verification checkmark beside its name while naming other institutions and people that could receive the checkmark, such as well-known artists and athletes. Within days, notable individuals such as actor Ashton Kutcher and talk show host Oprah Winfrey received a blue checkmark.
In 2010, Twitter opened up verification to all users, but shut down public verification after it became inundated with requests. According to Andy Cohn, who attempted to get the Twitter account for The Fader verified in 2012, only accounts who faced repeated impersonation attempts or those who spent at least on advertisements in the last three months were eligible for verification; an impersonator of Wendi Deng Murdoch—then businessman Rupert Murdoch's wife—was able to get verified regardless. Twitter opened up verification to all users once again in July 2016, but reserved that "verification does not equal endorsement".
In November 2016, Twitter suspended prominent white nationalist Richard B. Spencer from the platform, along with several other alt-right figures. Spencer's account was then reinstated in December, with his verification status remaining intact. Twitter faced backlash in November 2017 when it verified the account of Jason Kessler, a neo-Nazi and white supremacist. The backlash forced Twitter to pause its verification program. Several days later, Twitter removed Spencer and Kessler's verification statuses. Likewise, Twitter had removed verification from Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos for violating its policies in January, signaling Twitter verification implied endorsement. Despite a lack of public verification, Twitter continued to verify accounts that provided credible information about the COVID-19 pandemic and labeled candidates in the 2018 United States elections and the 2020 United States presidential election. Twitter reintroduced public verification in May 2021, with updated guidelines in January 2021 requiring verified accounts to have a verified email address or phone number, and stating that users may lose their blue checkmark for violating Twitter's rules. The announcement came alongside a new label for automated or bot accounts and deceased users.
Twitter Blue
In June 2021, Twitter announced Twitter Blue, a subscription service granting users the ability to undo tweets before they're sent, grouping saved tweets, a "reader mode" to view replied tweets in quicker succession, and various color themes, alongside dedicated customer support. Launching at an introductory price of per month, the service increased in price in July 2022 to a month, with Twitter Blue subscribers receiving the ability to edit tweets later on.
Acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk
In June 2009, business magnate Elon Musk joined Twitter, and has held an interest in the site. Musk's tweets, ranging from adoration to repudiation, have regarded the site at times. Following the January 6 United States Capitol attack and Twitter's suspension of then-president Donald Trump, Musk began tweeting about free speech at a more frequent rate, and focused on spam accounts more heavily. Musk became the company's largest shareholder in April 2022 with the purchase of billion shares of Twitter, or 9.2% of the company's stock volume, ahead of mutual fund company The Vanguard Group's 8.8% stake. According to The Washington Post, prompted by the suspensions of conservative Christian satire website The Babylon Bee and Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, Musk proposed an acquisition of Twitter on April 14. On October 27, 2022, Musk acquired Twitter for billion, following a legal battle with the company.