After Elon Musk scraps verification of Lakers legend, Twitter Blue RETURNS for Kobe Bryant

Twitter has invited chaos lately. Ever since the company decided to take away the verification badges from users who are non-compliant with their new rules, many have been losing their minds. The rules say that users have to give their phone numbers and pay for a Twitter Blue subscription to keep their blue checks. Amongst a huge unhappy lot of people are celebrities and bigwigs who find Twitter’s move unfair, rude, and shady.

One of the big names who got his blue check eliminated was Kobe Bryant. Yes, the Kobe Bryant. The basketball legend and former Lakers star passed away in a tragic helicopter crash in 2020. Bryant had over 14 million followers on Twitter receiving love and respect from millions.

But on Thursday, Twitter did the unthinkable and removed Kobe’s blue check. His fans and friends turned furious. They couldn’t believe that Twitter would do that to someone who carried such a huge impact on the world. And thus felt it was disrespectful and insensitive to the late superstar.

Out of the millions, one who stood up for Kobe was Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter itself and one of the most influential and controversial figures on the platform. Musk, who has over 130 million followers and is known for his outspoken and sometimes erratic tweets, took matters into his own hands and decided to pay for Bryant’s Twitter Blue subscription personally.

Musk also revealed that he paid for the subscriptions of other notable users who lost their verification badges, such as LeBron James, Stephen King, and William Shatner. He admitted it was a step taken out of respect and admiration for their work and contributions to society.

Also Read: Elon Musk CONFIRMS LeBron James’ blue tick on Twitter being paid for by him

Twitter Blue: A blessing or a curse?

Musk’s actions seem to have paid off, as Bryant’s account regained its blue checkmark shortly after Musk’s tweet. However, this does not mean that the controversy over Twitter’s verification policy is dusted off. In fact, it may have raised more concerns about the implications and consequences of the policy.

Twitter Blue is a premium subscription service that Twitter launched in December 2022. It offers users various features and benefits, such as an undo tweet button, bookmark folders, reader mode, and more. Moreover, it allows users to keep their verification badges and get them if they didn’t have them already. However, Twitter Blue is not free. It costs $8/month or $84/year in available countries. This has been criticized by many users as a form of extortion or blackmail by Twitter, forcing them to either compromise their privacy or pay up.

Twitter has defended its verification policy and its premium service as part of its efforts to improve the health and safety of its platform. The platform claims demanding phone numbers or subscriptions aids prevent spam, abuse, and impersonation on its platform. Moreover, Twitter Blue provides users with more choices and value for their money.

However, it remains to be seen how Twitter will handle the ongoing backlash and criticism over its verification policy and its premium service.

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