Last week, Twitter CEO Elon Musk removed all verification marks from every user across the site unless they subscribed to Twitter Blue. The problem here being that verification now exclusively means you're subscribed to Twitter Blue, and not that you're any sort of notable figure.
This has given rise to loads of imposters because of course it has – if a celebrity doesn't have a blue check, and you have eight bucks to subscribed to Twitter Blue, then congratulations! You're now a "verfied" account for a celebrity.
This all has rubbed legendary drummer Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs, Transatlantic, ex-Dream Theater, etc.) the wrong way. In a brief statement on his account, Portnoy said he'll stop using Twitter as the new system is enabling imposters.
"With Twitter now stripping everybody of them and enabling anybody to simply buy one and pretend to be anybody with no verification, I think it's time to bounce from here to avoid any possible confusion or mistaken identity. I will still be using my Instagram and Facebook with daily posts and content so please follow me over there where you can be certain it is actually me posting."
Of course people took Portnoy's comments as some grand political statement (they're not). Portnoy responded that he's simply sick of the toxic responses on Twitter, and reiterates that imposters are going to be an issue.
"Wow… some of these comments (even attacks) are pretty incredible!! Almost comical. I assumed it was obvious I could care less about paying $8 (or however much) for a Blue Check… it's not even about me having one or not… it's more about the fact that any 13 yr [old] kid with 18 followers can simply buy one!! It defeats the entire purpose of what verified accounts once meant."
"And honestly, reading some of these tweets is another reason I'm just not that into this place anymore. I'm not making any sort of political statement… it's just personal taste. Just too toxic for me."
"I figured I at least owed my followers a heads up that I was bailing from here but will still be on FB & IG rather than just ghosting everyone! Anyways, if the policies here ever change a bit who knows, maybe I'll come back someday. Just letting you know I won't be posting any updates here for now."
The Twitter Blue switch has been… well, rough. Musk has been paying for a few celebrities' blue checkmark despite them not asking for it, and then restored a bunch of blue checks to dead celebrities claiming that they were also subscribed to Twitter Blue.
