Larry Madowo loses Twitter verification badge amid controversial policy change

Celebrities have started losing their checkmarks as Twitter gets rid of legacy verification unless they pay for it.

One such personality who has lost their Twitter blue badge is Larry Madowo. Larry informed his Twitter followers Thursday night that he had finally lost the badge

"Elon Musk finally removed our legacy verified blue checkmarks. This was fun! I have no plans to pay for Twitter Blue at this time. I’ve been verified since 2011 so it’s great to be regular again," he wrote on Instagram.

Larry Madowo loses his Twitter verification badge after failure to pay Sh1,060 fee Pulse Live Kenya

READ: Larry Madowo & CNN reject charges for Twitter verification

Why Larry can't pay for Twitter Blue

Larry Madowo has decided to follow in the footsteps of other celebrities and decline to pay Twitter the fee of Sh1,060 for the verification badge.

Madowo expressed his reluctance to pay for the service and highlighted the risk of losing his verified status on the platform.

"I have no plans to pay for Twitter Blue at this time and neither does CNN. Twitter says my blue checkmark will soon disappear - after 12 years of being verified. Anyone will be able to create an account in my name and get it verified for $8 (Sh1,060). What could possibly go wrong?" Madowo added.

CNN correspondent Larry Madowo Pulse Live Kenya

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He also pointed out that anyone could create an account in his name and get it verified for a fee of $8 (Sh1,060), potentially leading to identity theft or other malicious activities.

"Even if I pay $8 to remain verified, anybody else can also add my name to their account and pay Twitter to verify it. So this doesn’t solve the problem of impersonation, it makes it worse.

"If this loophole is exploited by malicious people, it could have dangerous consequences," Madowo added.