Several cryptocurrency leaders, including Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, and Tezos co-founder Arthur Breitman, have had their Twitter blue checkmarks removed. The move comes as part of Twitter’s ongoing efforts to crack down on accounts that violate their policies, including spreading misinformation and engaging in fraudulent activities. While the removal of the blue checkmark doesn’t necessarily indicate wrongdoing, it can impact an individual’s credibility and influence within the industry. Many in the cryptocurrency community have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and consistency in Twitter’s verification process.
Twitter’s recent changes to its identity verification model on April 20 have resulted in a number of crypto leaders losing their coveted “blue checkmark” status. While the policy change has generated headlines due to its impact on mainstream public figures, it has also had an effect on leading crypto figures. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse lost his blue check status on April 20, while Tezos co-creator Kathleen Breitman and Shapeshift founder Erik Voorhees have also seemingly lost theirs. FTX founder Sam-Bankman Fried, who is currently not using Twitter due to a pending trial, also lost his blue checkmark. The former CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey also lost his checkmark, despite not tweeting since January.
Originally, Twitter granted blue checkmarks to highly public and notable Twitter accounts as a way of ensuring identity and curbing impersonation and fraud. However, under the leadership of Elon Musk, Twitter began to change its policy in late March to provide blue checkmarks to paying subscribers. While this has been criticized as diluting the purpose of blue checkmarks, Twitter has introduced other identifying markers, such as company logos for executives, and grey checkmarks for government officials.
Many crypto leaders have been able to adapt to the changes in policy, such as Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, Kraken CEO Jesse Powell, and Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin, who all maintain blue check marks. While it is possible that the accounts affected by the policy change will update soon, this latest development highlights how even crypto leaders are subject to the rapidly evolving world of social media.
In conclusion, the recent loss of blue checkmarks by crypto leaders following Twitter’s policy changes has caused concern among the community. While some have adapted to the changes and maintained their blue check status, others have been affected, highlighting the ongoing challenges posed by evolving social media platforms.