RIP Twitter Legacy Blue Check Mark: June 12, 2009-April 20, 2023

After over a decade of granting coveted blue checkmarks to verified users, Twitter‘s verification program is finally winding up.

What Happened: On Wednesday, Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion, announced that the final date for removing legacy Blue checks is April 20. 

See Also: Elon Musk’s Prankster Streak Continues As Twitter Loses ‘W’ On HQ Signboard

Last month, the microblogging site announced it would begin “winding down” the legacy verified program and remove legacy verified checkmarks starting April 1. 

However, even after a week, it appeared that Musk only went after a few legacy blue check mark holders like the New York Times. 

The Twitter CEO also informed users that starting April 15, only Twitter Blue subscribers can access certain features like the ability to vote on the platform, but even that didn’t seem to convince most people to pay $8 per month. 

Why It’s Important: While it was clear since the day Musk announced the Twitter Blue subscription model that legacy blue check marks would one day cease to exist, considering they have a history of more than a decade, netizens have strong feelings towards this step.