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BUSINESS Friday 21 april 2023
A13

HEALTH
Twitter begins removing blue checks from users who

don’t pay DOCTOR ON DUTY
Oranjestad

Hospital 7:00 pm / 10:00pm
Tel. 527 4000
By BARBARA ORTUTAY
AP Technology Writer San Nicolas
This time it’s for real. Imsan 24 hours
Tel.524 8833
Many of Twitter’s high-pro-
file users are losing the blue Women in Difficulties
check marks that helped PHARMACY ON DUTY
verify their identity and Oranjestad:
distinguish them from im- Eagle: Tel. 587 9011
Centro Medico: Tel. 584 5794
postors on the Elon Musk-
owned social media plat- Women in Difficulties
form. OTHER
After several false starts, Dental Clinic 587 9850
Twitter began making Blood Bank Aruba 587 0002
good on its promise Thurs- Urgent Care 586 0448
day to remove the blue Walk-In Doctor’s Clinic
checks from accounts that +297 588 0539
Women in Difficulties
don’t pay a monthly fee EMERGENCY
to keep them. Twitter had
about 300,000 verified us- Police 100
ers under the original blue- Oranjestad 527 3140
check system many of The Twitter splash page is seen on a digital device, on April 25, 2022, in San Diego. Noord 527 3200
them journalists, athletes Associated Press Sta. Cruz 527 2900
San Nicolas
584 5000
and public figures. The my extra hot lattes.” shielding celebrities from accounts, including those Police Tipline 11141
checks began disappear- On Thursday, Warwick lost impersonators, one of the impersonating Nintendo, Ambulancia 911
ing from these users’ pro- her blue check. main reasons was to pro- pharmaceutical company Fire Dept. 115
files late morning Pacific After buying Twitter for $44 vide an extra tool to curb Eli Lilly and Musk’s business- Red Cross 582 2219
Time. High-profile users who billion in October, Musk has misinformation coming es Tesla and SpaceX, so TAXI SERVICES
lost their blue checks Thurs- been trying to boost the from accounts impersonat- Twitter had to temporarily Taxi Tas 587 5900
day included Beyonce, struggling platform’s reve- ing people. Most “legacy suspend the service days Prof. Taxi 588 0035
Pope Francis and former nue by pushing more peo- blue checks,” including after its launch.q Taxi D.T.S. 587 2300
President Donald Trump. ple to pay for a premium the accounts of politicians, Taxi Serv. Aruba 583 3232
The costs of keeping the subscription. But his move activists and people who A1 Taxi Serv. 280 2828
marks range from $8 a also reflects his assertion suddenly find themselves Women in Difficulties
month for individual web that the blue verification in the news, as well as little- TRAVEL INFO
users to a starting price of marks have become an known journalists at small Aruba Airport 524 2424
$1,000 monthly to verify undeserved or “corrupt” publications around the American Airlines 582 2700
an organization, plus $50 status symbol for elite per- globe, are not household Avianca 588 0059
monthly for each affiliate sonalities, news reporters names. Jet Blue 588 2244
or employee account. and others granted verifi- One of Musk’s first product Surinam 582 7896
Twitter does not verify the cation for free by Twitter’s moves after taking over Women in Difficulties
individual accounts to en- previous leadership. Twitter was to launch a ser- AID FOUNDATIONS
sure they are who they say Twitter began tagging vice granting blue checks
they are, as was the case profiles with a blue check to anyone willing to pay $8 FAVI- Visually Impaired
Tel. 582 5051
with the previous blue mark starting about 14 a month. But it was quick-
check doled out during years ago. Along with ly inundated by impostor Alcoholics Anonymous
Tel. 736 2952
the platform’s pre-Musk Narcotics Anonymous
administration. Tel. 583 8989
Celebrity users, from bas- Fundacion Contra Violencia
ketball star LeBron James Relacional Tel. 583 5400
to Star Trek’s William Shat- Centre for Diabetes
ner, have balked at join- Tel. 524 8888
ing although on Thursday, Child Abuse Prevention
James’s blue check indi- Tel. 582 4433
cated that the account Quota Club Tel. 525 2672
Women in Difficulties
paid for verification. Sein- General Info
feld actor Jason Alexander
pledged to leave the plat- Phone Directory Tel. 118
form if Musk takes his blue
check away.
“The way Twitter is going
anyone could be me now.
The verification system is
an absolute mess,” Dionne
Warwick tweeted Tuesday.
She had earlier vowed not
to pay for Twitter Blue, say-
ing the monthly fee “could
(and will) be going toward facebook.com/arubatoday/