Some K-Pop Accounts Lose Verification Status as Twitter Monetizes Verification Badges

BLACKPINK's Twitter account

On Friday, many official Twitter accounts of K-pop artists, agencies, and media outlets, including aespa, Blackpink, EXO, BTS, JYP Entertainment, and SM Town, lost their verified blue checkmarks. Only those accounts that had paid a subscription fee to Twitter's Blue service could retain their blue tick box with the designation "legacy verified account."

Twitter had originally introduced the blue tick box to indicate the authenticity of verified accounts. However, with the introduction of Twitter Blue, a paid subscription service, in 2022, the blue tick box was made available to anyone willing to pay $8 per month.

As of late last week, many legacies verified Twitter accounts, including several K-pop accounts, have reported that their blue tick marks have been revoked, making them indistinguishable from normal or even fake accounts impersonating them. Some K-pop-related accounts, however, have kept their blue or gold tick boxes, which are part of Twitter's premium subscription. 

▲ EXO's Twitter account
Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter in 2022, claimed that "Far too many corrupt legacy Blue 'verification' checkmarks exist, so no choice but to remove legacy Blue in coming months," in a tweet last year on Nov. 11. Although Twitter has yet to release an official statement on the matter, Musk, who owns over 80% of Twitter's stocks, has been seen mocking legacy users' complaints on the social media platform.

The revocation of verification badges has not only affected K-pop artists and their fans, but also companies and news media outlets, including Apple, The New York Times, Samsung Korea, LG Electronics, and others. The move has caused a stir on social media, with many users questioning the authenticity of accounts that have lost their verification status.

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