Far-right Britain First party given Twitter gold tick

Twitter's recent verification system shake-up, under the ownership of Elon Musk, has led to the far-right political organization Britain First receiving a gold tick, indicating a verified account status. This move has sparked controversy and raised concerns about the promotion of extreme content on the platform.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a campaign group, has accused Twitter of intentionally promoting controversial and extreme content to drive user engagement and generate more revenue. The CCDH believes that this move may have negative implications for online discourse and the spread of extremist ideologies.

Interestingly, Disney, which had previously stopped broadcasting the Disney Junior UK channel in 2020 and deactivated its related Twitter handle, has reportedly contacted Twitter regarding the verification of the Britain First account. Disney's involvement in this matter remains unclear, as they declined to comment on the issue.

This situation highlights the challenges social media platforms face in balancing content verification and user engagement while ensuring that extremist ideologies are not inadvertently amplified. The impact of such verification decisions on user behaviour and online discourse continues to be a topic of concern for many organizations and individuals advocating for a safer and more responsible digital environment.