Fake Twitter Accounts Belonging to 'Tony Blair' and 'Nintendo of America' Get Blue Ticks

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Elon Musk had vowed to bring "power to the people" by opening verified check marks to everyone through Twitter Blue subscriptions.

And if you've headed on Twitter recently, it becomes painfully obvious that this literally means anyone.

Twitter Blue subscribers do not need to undergo identity checks in order to receive a coveted blue tick, meaning it's painfully unclear exactly what their verification status means.

And a number of accounts have popped up that show painful flaws in the system.

One parody account that now has a blue tick is in the name of former British prime minister Tony Blair, with one recent tweet warning:

"It's very much a moderation failure that this account is still active."

"Tony Blair" has also taken aim at those who claim this new approach to verification would eliminate spam accounts and bots. Another tweet adds:

"If I was smart enough, I'd use my blue tick account to attempt to scam y'all out of crypto or NFTs or something."

Twitter could have a huge problem on its hands given some users have also launched "verified" accounts that mimic big brands.

One account that's been awarded a blue tick is named "Nintendo of America" — and it shows Mario giving the middle finger to followers.

Under Elon Musk's ownership, Twitter has been attempting to ensure that accounts belonging to governments and businesses can be verified as genuine through a new "Official" tag.

At one point on Wednesday, some high-profile individuals had also been given this "Official" status — effectively replicating the two-tier system that had existed with verification previously.

And in a development that will infuriate those who were eager to pay $8 a month for a blue tick, Twitter also shows users whether accounts have been verified because they are notable… or simply because they are a Blue subscriber.