On Thursday, Twitter, under the leadership of Elon Musk, initiated a removal of blue verification check marks from the profiles of users who have not subscribed to its paid service. This action affected a wide range of individuals, including journalists, academics, and well-known public figures.

Notably, the blue verification check marks vanished from the profiles of several prominent and highly-followed individuals on the platform, such as Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Bill Gates, Pope Francis, former President Donald Trump, and Twitter's own founder, Jack Dorsey.

Additionally, certain government agencies, including the official account for US Citizenship and Immigration Services and some state Customs and Border Patrol offices, lost their blue check marks. These accounts did not immediately receive the gray check marks that Twitter has designated for official government accounts.