This Is Why Twitter Has Discarded The Blue Account Verification

New Delhi: The microblogging social media platform Twitter has removed the account verification for Taliban leaders who were using a paid-for verification feature to get the verified blue tick. Hedayatullah Hedayat and Abdul Haq Hammad, two senior Taliban figures, both had blue ticks as of Monday, according to the Guardian.

Hedayatullah Hedayat is the head of the Taliban’s department for “access to information,” and Abdul Haq Hammad, head of the media watchdog at the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture.

According to the news outlet, only “active, prominent, and authentic accounts of public interest” were previously given the blue “verified” checkmark by Twitter. However, users can now purchase them through the Twitter Blue service for a price since Elon Musk acquired the site last year.