Martin Lewis has been forced to defend himself on Twitter after some of his followers vowed to unfollow him because he had paid for a blue tick.
Changes to the social media platform made by Elon Musk which came into force on Thursday, April 20, mean that Twitter users now have to pay a subscription fee in order to have a blue tick on their profile. Previously, blue ticks were given without charge to verified notable accounts such as those belonging to celebrities, companies and news outlets as an indication that they were the real thing.
Any formerly verified Twitter account that has not paid for a Twitter Blue subscription has now lost its blue tick, with many choosing not to pay as a form of protest against Elon Musk and the changes he has made to the platform. However, MoneySavingExpert founder Martin explained that he made the choice to subscribe in order to retain the tick on his account.
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Martin wrote in a tweet on Friday: "To the few tweeting to tell me they're unfollowing because I paid for a blue tick - that is of course your prerogative, do what you feel is right - but please there's no need to notify me. I explained why I paid when I did (and it was useful ammunition when pushing Twitter to remove a fake 'verified' account of me)."
Martin had previously explained that he felt "obligated" to pay for the subscription because scammers "commonly impersonate" him in order to steal cash from vulnerable people. He added that his followers should not read his actions as "recommendation or support" for changes to the platform.
A small portion of Martin's followers were still not happy that he had subscribed to the service. One person hit out at the money expert in response to his defence: "Hypocrite, not surprised they unfollowed. Should be ashamed."
But the response was overwhelmingly positive overall, with many saying they understood Martin's reasoning. One fan wrote: "Understandable considering how many times you've been impersonated/faked. Keep up the good work mate!"
Someone else tweeted: "Completely understand your reasons and support you for doing so. Thank you for all you do for us Martin."
And a third supporter said: "The amount of fake Martin Lewis accounts that spring up, I completely understand your reasoning for paying for the blue tick. At least everyone knows you are the real thing!"
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