For example, people have started posting as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, former US President George W. Bush and even Jesus Christ with a verified Twitter account. A blue tick on Twitter so far was a mark of genuinity and authenticity. But now with the Twitter blue tick literally selling at $8, a great deal of fake accounts with the genuine blue tick mark have popped up.
Twitter has given verified status to Jesus Christ’s account with username @jesus that describes itself as ‘Carpenter, Healer, God’ in the bio. The account has been in existence since 2006. “so what elon is effectively saying is that this fella here @jesus can just spend 8 bucks a month and he is officially the son of the christian god? Like he is the REAL JESUS just like that?" comments one user.
While it has disturbed many, the incident did not stop there. Even Satan’s Twitter account is now verified. Joined in March 2020, its Twitter bio reads: Not evil, just misunderstood | Only official parody “s8n" account on Twitter," reads.
Various Twitter users are sharing screenshots of these fake accounts, expressing their concern over the new change.
“The problem is they've kept the checkmark that we all knew, but changed its meaning. It's confusing. They should have just brought in something new, like a low-key badge or other, for having paid for twitter blue, and then the checkmark for verified accounts", writes one user.
“And these are the big obvious ones. How many people are impersonating small accounts, not for parody, but to build up a following and then scam people? For money, to change minds and policy, to hurt enemies,...Those have a good chance of flying under the radar," commented another.
