Twitter last week started selling the coveted verification checkmark as part of the Blue subscription. Anyone could pay the company to get the blue tick, rather than having to get their account verified for it. The change was Elon Musk’s call as he looks to add new revenue streams to Twitter. But it backfired as people exploited the loophole to create fake accounts impersonating prominent personalities and organizations with the paid checkmark to make them look genuine. The company had to entirely shut down Twitter Blue following this checkmark frenzy. Senator Ed Markey was one of the victims of this chaos on Twitter. Someone created a fake account impersonating him. Questioning the company’s decision to sell the blue tick, the Senator sent a letter to Musk and shared it on Twitter. He asked the Twitter CEO why this happened and how he plans to prevent it from happening again. Markey also alleged that Musk is putting profits over people. In response to the question about the fake account, Musk said: “Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?” In a follow-up tweet, the Twitter CEO added: “And why does your pp have a mask!?” referring to Markey wearing a mask on his Twitter profile picture. Of course, the Senator wasn’t impressed by this response. Markey threatened legal action against the multi-billionaire unless he fixes his companies. “One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you’re spending your time picking fights online,” Markey said. “Fix your companies. Or Congress will,” he added.

Elon Musk is often seen engaging in trivial discussions on Twitter. But he might have just picked up a fight with the wrong Senator. Ed Markey sits on several subcommittees that look into Musk’s companies. The multi-billionaire publicly mocking him could result in another legal trouble for him. Of course, he doesn’t care much about this all. But the way he has been handling Twitter and its employees and users since the takeover is already raising concerns. The FTC recently confirmed that it is monitoring the developments at Twitter and may launch a formal investigation. US president Joe Biden has also hinted at a potential investigation into Musk’s relationships with foreign countries after he joined hands with a Saudi Arabian conglomerate to acquire the social network. The recent mass layoff has already resulted in a class-action lawsuit against Musk. It remains to be seen if Senator Ed Markey follows up on his warning with formal action.