TikTok creators confused after removal of blue check marks from accounts

The removal of blue verified check marks from several prominent accounts on TikTok has sparked outrage among the app's top influencers.

Surprisingly this month, TikTok unverified numerous accounts boasting millions of followers, including those of Dr. Miami, Bethenny Frankel, FaZe Rug, and even Duolingo.

Following the disappearance of their verification badges, some affected users took to their sizable followings to voice their frustration, while others began speculating and concocting their own theories about the reasons behind the removal. These videos garnered tens of thousands of likes and thousands of comments as users chimed in to discuss other creators who had lost their verification.

The exact count of unverified accounts over the past weeks remains unclear, but NBC News uncovered a dozen videos shared this month by creators with over 1 million followers each, expressing confusion over the sudden loss of their verification badges. Some users highlighted how other influencers, like Sheri Nicole Easterling, Addison Rae’s mother, had also lost their verification status.

Plastic surgeon Michael Salzhauer, known as Dr. Miami to his followers, boasts 3.2 million TikTok followers and has been verified for years. 

More than a week later, he decided to humorously address the issue by posting a video of himself pretending to cry over the loss of his blue checkmark.

Unlike platforms like X and Instagram, TikTok does not offer the option to purchase blue checks for verification. The concept of social media verification originated with Twitter in 2009 for accounts deemed of "public interest." TikTok maintains that it verifies accounts based on criteria such as activity, authenticity, completeness, notability, and security.