Followed by nearly half a million subscribers, Guy A. Lepage announced Thursday that he was leaving Twitter after losing his famous blue hook, like other public figures.
As announced, the blue hooks began to disappear from the social network on Thursday. Formerly an authentication badge reserved for public figures, the symbol is now obtained with a subscription to Twitter’s Blue service, which costs US$8 per month.
This controversial policy was decided by the new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk.
“It’s time for me to leave [Twitter], since Mr. Fusée, [Elon Musk], has just withdrawn my ti-hook”, responded Guy A. Lepage in a statement published Thursday afternoon on the social network.
With nearly 500,000 subscribers, he is one of the most followed Quebec personalities on the application. “Only 6% of Quebecers use Twitter, which is not much. But that includes 100% of morons, which is too much. Paying to be insulted is no! Do not spoof anyway, ”he chanted.
The host is not the only one to have lost his blue hook. Verified accounts of public figures like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Oprah have all lost it. Even politicians, including the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, have been stripped of the famous crest.
The purge also targeted journalists and news outlets, including La Presse. With the end of the old verification system, many fear that it will become more difficult to determine the authenticity of information.
