Geoffrey A. FowlerJan 5, 2023

Oops! I did it again:

I created a Twitter account pretending to be Senator Ed Markey (with his permission) and applied for Blue “verification.”

And once again, Twitter took my $8, asked zero questions and gave the fake account a blue checkmark.

Read @washingtonpost: https://wapo.st/3VHo2Qg

Twitter said it fixed ‘verification.’ So I impersonated a senator (again).

Elon Musk said Twitter would begin authenticating users who pay $8 for Blue. Our tech columnist was still able to get a checkmark for an impostor Sen. Ed Markey.

The Washington Post
Show threadGreg OryJan 5, 2023

@geoffreyfowler @washingtonpost I’m confused by the gif, if you created this account new, why is the joined date 2010? Did you repurpose a different account?

Nice to see the bluebird upholding such high ideals.

Show threadThe Ident GalleryJan 5, 2023
@leffie @geoffreyfowler @washingtonpost Explained in the article.
Show threadGreg Ory
@theidentgallery @geoffreyfowler @washingtonpost thanks for the heads up - article is paywalled so cannot read it.
Jan 5, 2023 at 6:59pmMastodon for iOS
Show threadJulian ♪🌻🥥🌴♫Jan 5, 2023
@leffie @theidentgallery @geoffreyfowler @washingtonpost The account has to be a couple of months old before it can be >>'"verified"'<<
Show threadThe Ident GalleryJan 5, 2023
@leffie @geoffreyfowler @washingtonpost Ah, it's not for me. Basically they said they needed an account that was several months old as new accounts aren't eligible for Blue.