Pope loses verified status on Twitter, US basketball star LeBron James remains

FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk Twitter account verification badge is seen in this illustration taken November 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

(Reuters) - Twitter on Thursday began removing legacy blue checkmarks from user profiles, with famous people including pop icon Beyonce and Pope Francis losing their verified statuses.

Some personalities such as basketball star LeBron James and author Stephen King still had their checkmarks.