Twitter‘s new payment system, “Twitter Blue,” has caused a stir among verified users, as CEO Elon Musk cracks down on those who refuse to pay for the subscription service. On Sunday, the New York Times lost its coveted verified check mark on Twitter, following Musk’s announcement that verified users who do not subscribe to “Twitter Blue” will lose their status.

Musk and Twitter’s Verified account announced last month that a deadline of April 1 would be set for verified users to apply and maintain their status. However, the announcement came with a catch – verified users who refused to pay the monthly subscription fee would lose their blue check mark and verified status.

The New York Times is not exempt from this new rule, as Musk confirmed in a tweet that the publication’s failure to pay for the subscription could result in the loss of its verified status. The publication’s main Twitter account lost its verified status shortly after.

Many users are pushing back on Twitter's new $8 verification fee, including The New York Times which no longer bears a blue check mark after refusing to pay https://t.co/PBlYxXEfY2

— Bloomberg (@business) April 3, 2023

As the debate over Twitter’s new payment system continues, it remains to be seen how many verified users will opt to pay for “Twitter Blue” and keep their status.