Twitter revokes 'living' blue tick, grants verification to dead people

Since Twitter officially launched its account verification service, a series of celebrities have had their blue checkmarks revoked for not paying monthly fees, such as superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr.

However, many users on the social network “Bluebird” were confused when they saw the blue ticks on the accounts of famous chef Anthony Bourdain and professional basketball player Kobe Bryant. Bourdain died in 2018, while Bryant died in 2020.

According to Mashable, only about 600,000 of Twitter's 250 million users have paid for Twitter Blue. The number is even lower among those who have already been granted a blue tick.

There is also the case of famous journalist and commentator Jamal Khashoggi, who was assassinated in 2018.

There is still no clear explanation for who is paying the $8/month fee for accounts that have been inactive for years.

Several other deceased celebrity accounts also have a blue tick, including singer Michael Jackson, comic book artist Stan Lee, and actor Chadwick Boseman. However, these accounts are still regularly active and are managed by representatives.

Last week, CEO Elon Musk, the owner of the social network, said that he was “paying out of his own pocket” for Twitter Blue subscription fees for some accounts such as basketball player Lebron James, writer Stephen King and actor William Shatner - who have publicly criticized the implementation of account verification fees.

Twitter no longer has a communications team, so it cannot officially comment on the information above. The platform is also facing boycotts or reduced marketing budgets by advertisers.

According to Reuters