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'F**k this pay-for-clout s**t': Fifth Harmony's Lauren Jauregui threatens to quit Twitter over 'greedy' verification rule

Twitter officially announced on February 15 that only paying users will be able to use SMS authentication for their accounts henceforth

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Lauren Jauregui has threatened to leave Twitter after the social media platform revised its verification criteria. The 26-year-old singer, who became well-known as a member of Fifth Harmony, has criticized new Twitter CEO Elon Musk and said she may leave the service after it sought to charge her for her blue-tick status.

Lauren - who has more than four million followers on Twitter - wrote, "I just received this message when I opened Twitter… @elonmusk how is this ok? When we have legitimate careers that depend on our verifications as people pretend to be me every single day on this site. I’ve had this verification for 11 years and 2 step verification is necessary for my account to not get hacked. Why the f*** would I start paying for something I’ve had for 11 years when it is an actual tool for my career? @Twitter this is unsafe. And if this is really a thing I will be leaving Twitter cause f*** all this pay for clout s***."

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'Make it make sense'

Lauren stated that the new Twitter policy is absurd. She also criticized Twitter for being "greedy" with its new strategy. Lauren, who has a sizable following across many social media sites, including more than 11 million Instagram followers, wrote, "It’s f****** ridiculous how greedy the intention is. I’m not paying a subscription fee to verify that I am actually the public figure I am. When people using my likeness can purchase a twitter blue and then essentially pretend to be me anyways. Make it make sense."

Celebs up in arms against Twitter

Text message-based two-factor authentication will no longer be offered to all Twitter users, as per BuzzFeed News. According to notifications sent to users, the removal of the security feature is required or users "risk losing access to Twitter." Twitter officially announced on February 15 that it would start enabling only paying Twitter users to use SMS authentication for their accounts. The news was announced in a blog post that said, “We have seen phone-number based 2FA be used - and abused - by bad actors. So starting today, we will no longer allow accounts to enroll in the text message/SMS method of 2FA unless they are Twitter Blue subscribers.”

Users must input a one-time code (typically given via SMS) in addition to their account password when using two-factor authentication. Many people have found this simple precaution to be a useful tool in their fight against identity theft, hacking, and doxxing. Other two-factor authentication methods, such as authenticator applications and security keys, would still be available, according to Twitter.

Other users and celebrities including Alyssa Milano expressed their concern while highlighting the risks to their reputations as public personalities. Since taking over Twitter in October 2022, Musk has made a number of contentious choices, the most recent being the switch to two-factor verification. Formerly an unpaid distinction used to distinguish legitimate accounts of notable figures like celebrities, journalists, and government officials, verification badges were put up for sale under Musk through the Twitter Blue membership, which drew widespread criticism from its user base.