What do they have in common? Beyoncé and Pope Francis;

As of today, their Twitter accounts are no longer authenticated, the BBC reports.

The social media giant has begun removing the once-coveted blue tick, the checkmark next to a user’s name that certifies the account’s authenticity, from thousands of accounts.

That’s because Elon Musk is trying to make a profit from Twitter by asking users who want to keep the blue tick next to their name to pay $84 a year.

Immediately after the announcement from the Twitter boss, many reacted by saying that they are not going to pay. Some of them seem to have complied, but others have succumbed…

Twitter first introduced the blue tick in 2009, when a former professional baseball player sued the company accusing the social network of allowing fake accounts to be created.

Eventually blue teak became a status symbol and proof of authenticity.

But in the new era Musk is asking users to pay to prove their authenticity.

The decision to cash out authentication could lead to a huge change in the platform.