Twitter has announced that it will be removing blue ticks from most verified accounts that are not government officials or organisations.

The social media company said that it would begin "winding down" its "legacy" verification service on 1 April, which will affect many musicians, actors, journalists, authors, and other users who had previously been verified. The blue tick is Twitter's way of confirming that an account is authentic, and its owner is who they claim to be.

The move to remove blue ticks has been criticised by many Twitter users, who have questioned the decision to remove the ticks on April Fool's Day. Some users have also joked about the decision, with civil rights lawyer Alejandra Caraballo saying that "there's absolutely no way this won't backfire". Screenwriter Mark Royce joked that he wanted to "provide closure for [his] many superfans who have puzzled over one mystery for months", before revealing that his account was not, in fact, notable.

The decision to remove blue ticks has come after Twitter CEO Elon Musk vowed to remove legacy blue ticks, which he described as having been handed out in a "corrupt and nonsensical" way. Musk has faced criticism over the rollout of a paid-for verification feature, which led to a number of fake accounts buying verification and posing as public figures to spread abusive content.

The move to allow people to buy verification has been criticised by many experts, who argue that it is a dangerous precedent that could be exploited by malicious actors. Critics have pointed out that allowing people to buy verification would undermine the very purpose of verification, which is to confirm that an account is authentic and its owner is who they claim to be. Some experts have also raised concerns that allowing people to buy verification could lead to a situation where people with more money have more influence on social media platforms.

Social media companies have a responsibility to ensure that their platforms are safe and secure for users. Allowing people to buy verification undermines this responsibility by allowing malicious actors to pose as public figures and spread abusive content. It is important that social media companies take steps to prevent this from happening, and that they work to maintain the integrity of their platforms. In the case of Twitter, the decision to remove blue ticks from accounts that don't pay for verification is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to prevent abuse on the platform.

The move to remove blue ticks from accounts that don't pay for verification is a positive step towards maintaining the integrity of Twitter. However, it is important that social media companies continue to take steps to prevent abuse on their platforms, and that they do not allow people to buy verification, which would undermine the very purpose of verification. Ultimately, social media companies have a responsibility to ensure that their platforms are safe and secure for users, and they must take this responsibility seriously.