Elon Musk picked April Fool’s Day to start his “legacy” purge, promising Twitter Town Square his foolproof antidote to spam. 

The news: If you’re not willing to fork out $8-$11/month ($1,000/month for companies, plus $50 per affiliate employee account) for the blue status you earned under the previous regime, prepare to relinquish your badge of notability in the coming days.

Tweeters flocked into the comments section to express their frustration underneath the official announcement shared by Twitter Verified. 

Many journalists and researchers had poured their blood, sweat and tears into submitting documentation in the pursuit of verification. And not only does this move impose a tax on credibility and degrade the check’s reputational value, but it also feeds into the economy of disinformation and opens more doors for impersonators. 

Until the rumored subscription requirements come into effect, we can only expect a bigger raft of fake accounts, and wonder whether these legacy relics will be auctioned too.

Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.