Wrote about the underground industry on the internet where Blue Ticks (Verified Badges) are sold in private marketplaces for a hefty fee. Plain unethical even if done for social status. Dangerous if/when the credibility that comes with a is misused. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/fantastic-blue-ticks-and-where-to-buy-them/articleshow/80593123.cms

These agencies and individuals operate in stealth mode, often listing their services on communities that do not always pop up by doing a basic Google search. Charges: From Rs 30,000 to Rs 1 lakh in India and 3X-4X that in the US, the UK, etc.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/fantastic-blue-ticks-and-where-to-buy-them/articleshow/80593123.cms

Many digital agencies are said to be providing this service, without making noise about it. Meanwhile, a local marketing agency, Fametick Media, openly brags about providing “technical support” for users in getting a verification badge, on its FB and IG

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/fantastic-blue-ticks-and-where-to-buy-them/articleshow/80593123.cms

Industry experts estimate these individuals and agencies could be getting at least 1 million annual queries for buying a blue tick, potentially pegging the size of the fake verification industry at Rs 3,000 crore in India alone. And some say that's still a conservative estimate!

Their modus operandi: Get the user thousands of followers, likes, engagement via social media automation tools. Publish sponsored content for them in media which users then disingenuously flaunt as press coverage. Platform review process misses these finer details it seems.

When I reached out to some users whose blue tick accounts seemed suspicious, they made changes to their bio where they had earlier mentioned all the media coverage they had got.

Instagram, too, removed blue ticks of two such users whose accounts I had flagged. Interestingly, I found one in the comments section of the other (also a pattern among most such accounts)

Basic patterns that started to emerge:
1. All these accounts had thousands of followers (mostly bot accounts) but very few posts.
2. Mention of press coverage in bio.
3. Flaunting branded content as media coverage.
4. Comments from other verified accounts that looked dubious

Industry experts reckon most people do it because they think blue tick = status symbol. However, it can be grossly misused if/when someone takes advantage of the trust quotient that uninitiated folks attach with blue ticks. So, what's the workaround?

Platforms need to have AI-enabled but human-backed review processes, @HugoAmsellem says.
@NeelGogia also suggested press coverage shouldn't be a criterion because that's what has given birth to this menace in the first place as people struggle to get published.

At a time when digital distrust is sooooooo high, the last thing we need is fake authenticity https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/fantastic-blue-ticks-and-where-to-buy-them/articleshow/80593123.cms