Just hours after the feature’s debut, Musk abruptly said Wednesday he had “killed” a new, gray verification badge designed to label government accounts, major brands and media outlets, adding to the turmoil at one of the world’s most influential social media companies. The new badge, which consisted of a gray check mark and the word “Official” placed underneath account handles belonging to Twitter, the United Nations and media outlets including CNN, was first introduced on Tuesday evening.
In recent days, Twitter and Musk have been met with widespread criticism over the company’s plan to change the meaning of the blue check mark away from identifying confirmed individuals, particularly public figures, toward a new meaning signifying that a user has paid for Twitter Blue, the company’s subscription service.