ALBAWABA - Twitter is adding verified blue check marks to the accounts of dead celebrities, a move some argued may run afoul of U.S. laws protecting consumers from false endorsements.
Kobe Bryant, Norm Macdonald, Anthony Bourdain, Chadwick Boseman, and Michael Jackson were among the celebrities who each got a posthumous blue check added to their Twitter accounts as the site "began to purge legacy verifications on Thursday, pivoting to only displaying the checks on the profiles who pay for the subscription service," Insider reported.
Twitter is adding verified check marks to the accounts of dead celebrities, making them look like paid Twitter Blue subscribers https://t.co/AEkuq5IU5r
— Insider News (@InsiderNews) April 23, 2023
"On their profiles, as of Saturday evening, the badge distinctly indicates the deceased celebrities had subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone numbers," according to Insider.
It said: "While someone controlling the estate of the celebrities could, in theory, have verified the celebrities, accounts like Bourdain's have lain dormant in the years since their deaths, with the only change being the Verified Blue badge."
There was no immediate independent confirmation from Twitter.
Elon Musk’s Twitter on Thursday began a purge of blue verification check marks from users who have not signed up for its subscription service https://t.co/JJDWQoipvx pic.twitter.com/MYlsucchUu
— CNN (@CNN) April 21, 2023
TechCrunch said that the relaunch of Twitter Blue, previously seen by the public as a status symbol for celebrities and now available for purchase by anyone, has been "underwhelming," earning the social media platform just $11 million in mobile-based subscriptions since Elon Musk bought it back in December.
Twitter Blue is available for $8 per month, but it has drawn in few new subscribers since its relaunch. According to estimates by programmer Travis Brown, fewer than 600,000 accounts pay for the service, Insider reported.
BREAKING: Twitter just removed the blue check marks from those who don’t pay for Twitter Blue. I understand Elon’s need to generate more revenue, but I personally feel that blue checks should be grandfathered in.
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) April 20, 2023
Some people spent years building up accounts and building a… pic.twitter.com/Bvc4rsDxsA
The posthumous Twitter Blue badges may go against laws protecting consumers from false endorsements.
In California's Civil Code 3344.1, any person who "uses a deceased personality's name, voice, signature, or likeness — in any manner — for purposes of advertising or selling products, goods, or services, without consent from the person is liable for $750 or the amount of actual damages sustained, whichever is greater," according to Insider.
Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic, tweeted: "Considering that the blue check states that someone is subscribed to twitter blue and paying for a product, falsely adding that to large accounts may constitute a deceptive trade practice."
Considering that the blue check states that someone is subscribed to twitter blue and paying for a product, falsely adding that to large accounts may constitute a deceptive trade practice. Paging the @FTC.
— Alejandra Caraballo ?️⚧️?? (@Esqueer_) April 22, 2023
"Anyone given this without their approval could have grounds to bring a false endorsement claim," she wrote. "That would be separate from a FTC investigation over deceptive trade practices."
