The controversy surrounding the verification of Twitter accounts has skyrocketed in recent days, and could now have a fate in US justice, according to sources warned by Wired Magazine.
After the April 20 announcement that Twitter would remove blue badges from accounts that don’t pay Twitter Blue, Elon Musk surprised everyone by keeping the badges of several famous people. So it happened with the writer Stephen Kingthe star of the NBA Lebron James and Star Trek actor William Shatner.
But these blue checkmarks were included with a suggestive and controversial label: “This account is verified because they are signed up for Twitter Blue and have verified their phone number.” Out of the box, Stephen King opposed the move. “My Twitter account says I’ve signed up for Twitter Blue. It wasn’t me. My Twitter account says I gave him a phone number. I do not”.
The comings and goings on the blue tilde hasn’t stopped. Elon Musk’s latest decision aimed to keep this free status only for those with more than one million followers before April 20, along with a note saying you paid for it. Like Stephen King, many have said no, which, if true, would expose Twitter to legal trouble.
“There are a number of potential legal complaints we could see about blue Twitter watchdog accounts that haven’t signed up for them and don’t want them,” acknowledged Alexandra Roberts, a law and media professor at Northeastern University, according to the magazine. Wired.
He added, “Because this badge is meant for users who are subscribed to Twitter Blue and have verified their phone number.”
The laws at stake
Among the laws Twitter could violate are several US federal and state laws, they say, that prohibit false advertising or endorsement and unfair competition, as well as lawsuits for defamation and misappropriation of the right of publicity.
In all potential actionable cases, Twitter’s false claim that celebrities paid for Blue would have to demonstrate constituted an endorsement of the platform’s service or commercial use, or that consumers watching them would be misled, the lawyers recognized.
The launch of Twitter Blue has by far been a resounding success for Musk’s management. This $8 membership, they reported, makes up less than 1 percent of their projected annual revenue.
By imposing blue flags on non-consenting users, Twitter could also have opened up regulatory action in the European Union and the United Kingdom as well, as unfair and deceptive practices that can manipulate consumers are prohibited in both jurisdictions and affect markets.
Source: Clarin
Linda Price is a tech expert at News Rebeat. With a deep understanding of the latest developments in the world of technology and a passion for innovation, Linda provides insightful and informative coverage of the cutting-edge advancements shaping our world.