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Asharq Al-Awsat

Technology

Asharq Al-Awsat

Pope Francis, Ronaldo Lose Twitter Verified Blue Status, Others Keep It

Twitter Inc. Elon Musk United States Cristiano Ronaldo Bill Gates LeBron James Stephen King Microsoft Corp William Shatner AlNassr

Al-Nassr's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to a missed chance during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Fayha and Al-Nassr at the al-Majmaah stadium in the city of al-Majmaah on April 9, 2023. (AFP)

Twitter on Thursday began removing legacy blue checkmarks from user profiles, with famous people including Pope Francis, Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates and Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo losing their verified status.

Under Elon Musk's ownership, Twitter has changed how it hands out the coveted blue checkmarks, previously given to noted individuals, journalists, executives, politicians and establishments after verifying their identities. They served as a mark of authenticity.

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