Three celebrities enjoy free Twitter Blue as Musk foots the bill

New Delhi: In a surprising move, tech mogul Elon Musk has revealed that he is personally paying for the Twitter Blue subscriptions of the platform’s three most prominent users: American basketball star LeBron James, legendary Canadian actor William Shatner, and science fiction author Stephen King.

His announcement came within hours of Twitter removing blue checkmarks from accounts that had not paid for Twitter Blue, the platform’s premium subscription service. The move sparked controversy among verified users, some of whom argued that the blue checkmark was a mark of authenticity rather than a paid subscription.

LeBron James was among the users who criticized the move, saying he would not pay for verification. Now Musk has stepped in to cover the cost of James’ subscription, along with those of Shatner and King.

Of the 50 most-followed accounts on Twitter, only seven users currently have blue checkmarks, including Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Ellen DeGeneres, Britney Spears, Jimmy Fallon, and Miley Cyrus.

The move by Musk to pay for the subscriptions of high-profile users has raised questions about the value of the blue checkmark and whether it should be tied to a paid subscription. It has also drawn attention to the wider debate about the role of social media platforms in verifying the identity of users and protecting them from online abuse.

Twitter has been grappling with these issues for some time, with the then CEO Jack Dorsey admitting last year that the company had not done enough to prevent harassment and abuse on its platform. In response, the company has introduced a number of measures, including a new policy on hate speech and harassment, and a feature that allows users to report abusive tweets more easily.

As Twitter continues to navigate these challenges, the role of the blue checkmark remains a contentious issue. While some users see it as a mark of authenticity, others argue that it is an arbitrary and potentially exclusionary measure that is not necessarily tied to the value of the content being shared.