After a Washington Post writer successfully created a false verified account pretending to be the Massachusetts Democrat on Friday, Sen. Ed Markey demanded clarification from Twitter founder Elon Musk regarding the company’s new verification and impersonation standards.
Impersonations of famous people and brands became commonplace on Twitter shortly after the Post published its test, leading Twitter to appear to have suspended the $7.99/month Twitter Blue verification programme. Important privacy and content moderation executives at Twitter recently left the company.

However, before the break, the Post used “a spare iPhone, a credit card, and a little imagination” to create the Twitter account “@realEdMarkey” Even though Markey already has two authentic verified accounts, the account was given a blue confirmed checkmark. However, the Post reporter discovered that Twitter claimed the fake Markey account was verified “because it’s notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category,” despite the blue check being a feature of the paid Twitter Blue.

In his letter to Musk, Markey stated that “safeguards like Twitter’s blue checkmark formerly permitted users to be knowledgeable, critical consumers of news and information in Twitter’s global town square.” But your takeover of Twitter, the hurried and haphazard implementation of platform modifications, the elimination of anti-disinformation measures, and the mass termination of Twitter staffers have expedited Twitter’s slide into the Wild West of social media.
By November 25, Markey requested a response from Musk regarding Twitter’s procedures for awarding the blue checkmarks, how his impersonation was permitted by Twitter, and future plans for new verification.

Allowing a fake to pose as a US senator on Twitter is a serious issue that needs to be addressed right away, Markey wrote.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.