Netas, celebrities in Bihar lose free Twitter blue tick

PATNA: Twitter's latest move to introduce its premium service, Twitter Blue, has left many prominent personalities feeling left out. On Friday, several celebrities, journalists and politicians across the state lost the blue ticks on their verified Twitter accounts.
The blue tick, also known as the verified badge, is a sign of authenticity for Twitter accounts that confirms the identity of the user. Losing it means that users will no longer be able to differentiate between real and fake accounts, which could lead to confusion and misrepresentation.
The blue tick has been removed from the Twitter accounts of CM Nitish Kumar, deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his elder son Tej Pratap. The blue tick is also missing from the official account of RJD, but it is still available on the account of JD(U).
Blue tick has also disappeared from the accounts of BJP state president Samrat Chaudhary and former deputy CMs Sushil Kumar Modi, Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi.
Celebrities who have lost their blue ticks have reacted strongly to the Twitter's move. "My credibility is not defined by a small blue tick on Twitter. It is defined by the work that I've done in the industry and the contributions that I've made to society. I never had to purchase a blue tick, I got it through my own hard work, and that's something that no amount of money can buy," said actor Neetu Chandra.
Himani Mishra, a marketing expert and owner of a city-based marketing and IT firm, said losing the verified badge can make it easier for impersonators and fake accounts to deceive users by posing as the celebrity or a particular association.
Twitter's decision to introduce the new service has been met with mixed reactions by Twitterati. While some users have welcomed the move, others are not pleased with the segregation of users based on their subscription status.
"Blue tick has been removed from accounts of high-profile netas of Bihar. It's the right decision," said Nishant Sharma, a Twitter user.
"Now, it seems like Twitter will be the one to decide who is worthy enough to pay Rs 900 a month to keep their accounts verified," a man tweeted.