AOC perfectly highlights why removing verified account on Twitter is so dangerous

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has expressed her concerns on the dangerous consequences of Twitter removing legacy verified blue checkmarks.

The move by the social media platform means notable accounts that had legacy verification no longer have a blue checkmark and in a bid to boost Twitter Blue subscriptions that's $8 a month (or $84 a year).

Though it's been reported that Twitter CEO Elon Musk is paying for the likes of Stephen King, LeBron James and William Shatner to keep their verified status.

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"We are removing legacy verified checkmarks,” the company said in a statement on Twitter. “To remain verified on Twitter, individuals can sign up for Twitter Blue."

Since the blue tick cull, there have been many accounts popping up to impersonate different people and organisations, including the government of New York City's Twitter account.

In a tweet, the official account @nycgov ensuring people that it was

"This is an authentic Twitter account representing the New York City Government This is the only account for @NYCGov run by New York City government. You can verify our identity by confirming our handle at: https://nyc.gov/connect/social-media.page."

But that didn't stop a fake account @NYC_GOVERNMENT from trolling the real account by having the same profile pic and replying: "No, you're not. THIS account is the only authentic Twitter account representing and run by the New York City Government."

While people are using the opportunity to troll with impersonations, Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has noted how removing the legacy verification badges may cause "major potential harm," when it comes to communicating an emergency.

"Jokes aside, this is setting the stage for major potential harm when a natural disaster hits and no one knows what agencies, reporters, or outlets are real," he tweeted,

"Not long ago we had major flash floods. We had to mobilize trusted info fast to save lives. Today just made that harder."

At the time of writing, AOC and the New York City government have grey verified checkmarks to because both are classed as " a government or multilateral organization account."

Elsewhere, Stephen King is not happy about still being verified thanks to a Musk paying for the subscription personally.

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