The platform-wide crackdown on unpaid verification badges started yesterday, April 21.

Once a bragging right and claim to fame, a blue or golden badge on Twitter has drastically changed meaning overnight. 

Celebrities, who once bore the badge, no longer have them, to prove they are “influential” in their field; unless they paid for a Twitter Blue subscription.

Under Elon Musk’s revised rules for the platform, one has to subscribe to the updated verification system which has three levels. You can get a blue check if you pay $8 a month. When big companies pay $1,000 a month, they can keep or get the golden badge.

Notable news organizations in the country, such as ABS-CBN News and GMA Integrated News joined their international counterparts CNN and BBC in being Twitter-badge-less news agencies.

This move essentially strips the right of legacy badge owners to remain notable in their fields. This used to be the main motivation behind awarding them to selected individuals and organizations.

The more dramatic reactions, of course, came from celebrities, as many worked their asses off to earn legacy badges.

“I just lost my blue verification badge. What now @Twitter? Are we supposed to pay for it?” asked Kapamilya journalist Karen Davila. 

The Voice Kids alum and ASAP Natin ‘To performer Darren Espanto, meanwhile, asked his followers if it was worth subscribing to Twitter Blue.

“I lost my verification badge due to the new rules Elon Musk made. Should I pay for Twitter Blue or nah?”

American actress, Alyssa Milano, raised concerns about identity theft due to Musk’s revised regulations.

“So by revoking my blue check mark because I wouldn’t pay some arbitrary fee, someone can just be me and say a bunch of bullshit. Does that mean Twitter and @elonmusk are liable for defamation or identity theft or fraud?” she inquired.

https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano/status/1649168451028799488

Social media influencer and actor Kerwin King goodbyes his legacy badge. “Bye legacy check mark. Lol tnx @Twitter @elonmusk,” his tweet read.

Kapamilya reporter, @JervisManahan similarly bade his own verification check goodbye. “It was fun while it lasted. Goodbye, blue check!”

“I lost mine too. LOL,” shared PBB alum Dawn Chang.

https://twitter.com/thedawnchang/status/1649266622157455360

It’s the same news shared by social media superstar Niana Guerrero.

“blue check is gone HAHAHA,”

“The blue has lost its meaning. The point of that anyway was to verify identity & it actually helped earmark notable people in diff industries.”

“Now it just means Twitter got paid. Lemme guess how it goes. Elon experimenting only to find out it was working in the first place,” noted Kapatid news anchor, Gretchen Ho, raising concern over the possible repercussions of Musk’s move.

Tony awardee and Filipina theater superstar, Lea Salonga, is seemingly sad about losing her own badge. “Awwww, my blue checkmark is gone. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!”

https://twitter.com/MsLeaSalonga/status/1649272933544599552

‘Parokya Ni Edgar’ Chito Miranda joked about not knowing if he is still the same guy with the blue check. “Nawala yung blue check ko. Di tuloy ako sure kung ako ba ‘to talaga,” he tweeted.

Reportedly lasting for a few more days, the said crackdown will target all legacy badge holders who haven’t subscribed to Twitter Blue. State leaders and government offices are not affected by this revised regulation.

A new development today, April 23, however, may have spared other users from losing their badges, especially if they have more than 1 million followers. Under the updated rule, every account with more than a million followers is awarded the infamous blue badge, for free. That means, even those who did not previously have the badge, now have it in their profiles.