Cristiano Ronaldo Loses Verified Badge on Twitter Due to Elon Musk’s Controversial Purge
Controversial Twitter owner Elon Musk’s recent purge of verified accounts has caused outrage, with many high-profile users losing their verified status.
The social media platform erased all checkmarks from verified accounts on Thursday, which led to worldwide fear of misinformation being spread and impersonation.
One of the most high-profile casualties of this purge was Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who lost his blue tick on Twitter.
Despite having 108.3 million followers and being the highest earner in the history of sport, earning a staggering £173million per year at Al-Nassr, Ronaldo’s verified status was removed along with a number of other celebrities, journalists, academics and politicians.
It is reported that Musk’s unpopular subscription service, which charges $8 per month, is the reason behind the verification badge removal.
Users who refuse to sign up for the service have been stripped of their blue ticks amid the businessman’s chaotic takeover. However, some celebrities managed to hold on to their verification badges as Musk decided to pay for their subscriptions himself.
NBA legend and LA Lakers superstar LeBron James was among those whose profile remained intact. Musk confirmed on Twitter that he personally paid for the blue ticks of some famous people, although the world’s richest person has a history of tongue-in-cheek tweets.
Musk’s ownership of Twitter has been the subject of much controversy since he purchased the platform for $44 billion (£35.5bn) in October. He created a poll in December asking users to vote whether he should step down as head of Twitter. Despite losing the vote by 57.5 per cent, Musk remains in charge even though he promised to abide by the result.
The recent purge of verified accounts on Twitter has caused concern among users, with many worried about the spread of misinformation and impersonation. The removal of Cristiano Ronaldo’s blue tick is a reminder that even the most high-profile celebrities are not immune to the changes brought about by the controversial ownership of Twitter.
