Twitter over the weekend rated a fake Disney account verified.
The account, called @DisneyJuniorUK, was tweeting sleazy content, but managed to get verified by GoldTick before being suspended.
Malik warned his followers, saying “That’s not actually true. Someone pinched me or something” – and the tweet has since gone viral.
This comes as confusion continues over how Twitter’s updated verification system is working.
Twitter has been contacted for comment.
Meanwhile, the “real” Disney Junior account has also been badged gold.
Last week Twitter dropped the blue icons from “legacy” verified accounts and has a new color scheme in its verification system – led by owner Elon Musk.
Despite many celebrity accounts initially losing their badges – most were reinstated over the weekend, with nearly every user gaining more than a million followers receiving a new blue tick. .
- Blue: The traditional verification mark now means the account is subscribed to Twitter Blue, from $8 (£6.40) a month, and has completed certain verification steps such as having a mobile phone linked to the account. It should also be more than 30 days old and there should be no recent change in name or handle.
- Gold: These marks are reserved for organizations and businesses that pay $1,000 per month plus additional fees for subsequent accounts.
- Grey: Marks an official government account, such as a national agency or head of state
Social media consultant Matt Navarra told JEE News that the decision to remove the legacy checkmarks was a big mistake, “probably Elon’s biggest Twitter mistake ever”.
“Twitter has gone from crisis to crisis in the last six months, since Elon took ownership of the platform,” he said.
“It has now created the perfect breeding ground for fake accounts and misinformation, with no real way to protect its consumers (or other brands) from the mess it creates. I wouldn’t be surprised if they start. After this latest blunder from Twitter itself.”
