Blue checks are going away; Twitter alternative T2 lets you keep one

Starting this weekend, Twitter says it will begin phasing out its legacy verification program, meaning the only blue checkmarks you’ll see on Twitter will be for users who have opted to pay for them.

Twitter announced, via tweet, its plan to wind down the program and begin “removing legacy verified checkmarks” on April 1, with the only option to keep them coming in the form of a Twitter Blue subscription.

Now T2, a new social network led by former Twitter employees, is hoping to lure those verified users over to its platform with the promise of letting that check mark come with you.

The site, which looks nearly identical to Twitter, is currently in an invite-only stage, but the ability to port over your legacy checkmark is available for both users already on the platform and those on the waitlist. To get it, you’ll simply need to fill out a form on T2’s website. The process takes roughly a minute and involves just giving the site some information about your existing Twitter account and your email address. If you don’t already have an account on the service, there’s also an opportunity on the form to request a specific handle when you are let in the virtual doors.

Verification checkmarks were initially provided by Twitter to celebrities and other users of note as a way to prevent impersonation and verify for the public that accounts were, in fact, affiliated with the names and identities they carried. Notoriously hard to acquire, the checkmarks also were often seen as a status symbol, something Elon Musk attempted to capitalize on when he took over the company by offering a verified check to anyone willing to pay for Twitter’s paid tier, Twitter Blue. However, many critics have pointed out that this pay-to-play model essentially subverted the program’s meaning and diminished its value.

If you do want to port that checkmark over, time is running out. Twitter hasn’t explained how it plans to wind down its legacy program so there’s a chance all those legacy blue checks will disappear overnight.