Twitter removes blue ticks of Taliban officials who paid to be verified
Twitter has reportedly revoked its paid-for blue tick feature for senior members of the Taliban, who reportedly purchased the feature.
At least two Taliban officials in Afghanistan were said to be using the checkmarks, according to the BBC.
The blue tick previously indicated "active, notable, and authentic accounts of public interest" verified by Twitter, and could not be purchased.
This included celebrities, politicians, entertainers, and prominent journalists.
But the £8 per month feature was introduced by Elon Musk, Twitter’s owner, in December, which would allow users to purchase the verification feature through the Twitter Blue service and pay for the blue tick.
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Elon Musk first introduced the controversial Twitter Blue feature in December (STR/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)Shortly after Taliban officials were reported to have paid for their verified status, Twitter appeared to have cancelled their subscriptions.
As of Tuesday, the Twitter accounts of Abdul Haq Hammad and Hedayatullah Hedayat showed no “blue check” next to their handles.
Other public figures known to be connected with the Taliban and were also reported to have paid for the blue tick have also appeared to have it removed from their accounts.
Mr Hammad, head of the media watchdog unit at the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture, boasts more than 170,000 followers on his Twitter account.
Hedayatullah Hedaya's Twitter account showing the blue tick (hedayatullah111/Twitter)Mr Hedayat, a top official in the Taliban’s “information department”, has more than 188,000 followers.
After regaining control over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban is said to have committed widespread human rights violations, including banning women from schools and government jobs, as well as sexual and gender-based violence.
Prior to Musk’s Twitter takeover, blue ticks were only awarded to specific accounts as a way of verifying their status as public figures.
Twitter Blue was brought in as a way of generating more revenue as users could pay to earn higher “priority ranking in search, mentions, and replies.”
Both Taliban officials who had the blue tick were creeping up to 200,000 Twitter followers (AFP via Getty Images)But the initial rollout proved disastrous after trolls assumed the online identities of political leaders and major corporations.
Musk was forced to suspend the feature in order to put in safeguards that would prevent similar incidents in the future.
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The latest update to Twitter Blue includes a colour-coded system, where gold ticks are reserved for businesses and grey for governing authorities.
Twitter is said to have cancelled both Taliban officials Twitter Blue subscription (AFP via Getty Images)Musk made internal files and messages available to several journalists shortly after taking over the social media platform - leading to a series of published stories known as the “Twitter Files.”
The documents show that Twitter’s previous management was in constant communication with lawmakers who sought to influence the social media company’s content moderation policies.
Musk has also reinstated the accounts of controversial individuals who were banned prior to his takeover.
Elon Musk claims he's a 'free speech absolutist', and has removed the ban on Donald Trump's account (AFP via Getty Images)These include Donald Trump, the former US President and Jordan Peterson, Canadian author and psychologist.
Musk, who labels himself as a “free speech absolutist,” has banned Kanye West after the rapper made several anti-Semitic statements.
He has also kept in place the ban on Alex Jones, the Infowars host, who alleged that the Sandy Hook school massacre was a hoax.
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