Twitter has been through a lot of changes in the last few months. After Elon Musk took over as the Chief Executive of the social media platform, they have made several changes to their logistics. The company which provided verification tick marks to claim the authenticity of an account has sometimes mistaken an impersonator as the real person. This has sometimes led to widespread confusion and although the situation might sound typically harmless, it is not. It has wide ranging consequences on the reputation of the individual who is being impersonated. In case of fake accounts which impersonate a brand, the brand might face backlash and boycott for something they did not even do.
After the Tesla and SpaceX CEO took over the social media platform, the company announced a $8 subscription fee to Twitter Blue without which the verification badges on the profiles would be taken down. However, after removing the blue verification tick marks from all unpaid users, Twitter was quick to give back the badges to selected users who had a large fan following and previously had the badge. The platform made a mistake while returning verification badges and gave a gold verification badge to a fake Disney account.
Credits: Twitter
THE HISTORY OF VERIFICATION MARKS:
The blue tick marks that appear on selected Twitter accounts are verification badges that appear on profiles of verified users. These badges are often seen on profiles of famous personalities who are at a threat of being impersonated. Twitter puts these blue check marks only after they have confirmed the identity of the account owner who is typically a public figure or brand.
There is a criteria for verification of Twitter accounts without meeting which an account cannot be verified. The factors which affect the eligibility of an account to get verified include the completeness of the profile, the presence of a profile picture and header image, and the account’s activity and engagement on the platform. Furthermore, the social media company requires verification of the account owner’s identity through government-issued identification or other valid identity proofs.
Although the verification doesn’t come with additional benefits from the company, these users do enjoy a few perks over the others. These verification check marks often represent an account’s legitimacy and creditability. Users of such accounts also have a much easier time building trust with followers and audiences.
Previous impersonating accounts:
There have been several instances where people impersonated big brands and successful people. However, there were a few cases which could have had wide ranging consequences.
-
A few years back, an account used the handle @elonlmusk and copied Elon’s profile picture and bio. The account also tweeted with a promise to give away free cryptocurrency. The account impersonated Elon on the app which he did not own at that time.
-
Another user created a fake account for the World Health Organization. It was used to spread fake news about the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
-
Not even the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, were left alone by some people who created an account @sussexroyal_ which is similar to the real account’s handle, @sussexroyal. The account managed to gain thousands of followers before it was taken down a few days later.
The Recent Mistake:
After Twitter started returning verification badges to organizations and personalities who had not paid the subscription fee, they once again made the same mistake. This time an account which was impersonating Disney Junior in the UK was given a gold verification badge. Gold badges are verify that the account belongs to a company. In this particular case, the Twitter team mistook the account to be a sub-account that belongs to Disney. As per a report, the account also used inappropriate language that sometimes promoted racism. Some people were quick to tweet about their observations and instantly identified the mistake made by the social media giant.
RIP Disney Junior UK (verified) pic.twitter.com/rFlyMHp7UR
— Elaine Scattermoon (@scattermoon) April 24, 2023
As a result of Twitter’s move, the account gained thousands of followers in just day. They also took full advantage of the situation and posted about the same. As of now, the account has been permanently suspended from the platform.