The fake verified posts got way worse for Twitter

There's a famous meme from Arrested Development where a character opens a paper bag and says "Do not eat" He opened the bag and said to no one in particular, "I don't know what I expected."

I imagine Musk whispering to no one in particular, "I don't know what I expected."

The latest shitstorm for Musk is one of the most predictable things in the history of the internet. People immediately used the ability to post fake news after Musk removed any barrier for verification on the social media site. There was a hard to find distinction between a blue check for $8 and a blue check for a notable person, but it all looked the same on the timelines. People could purchase blue checks and post fake news. Most of the time it was fake sports news. It didn't last.

Things have gotten worse for the social networking site. People began posing as political figures and businesses. It was out of control by Thursday night. The account was a fake. These examples are pretty controversial in nature, so please be aware.

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All this is more serious than a hoax. It could be dangerous. A bad actor could ruin an election. This is the sort of thing that would scare advertisers away from the platform, which is basically the only way it can make money.

The ability to buy a checkmark through the blue option has been paused. Musk needs to go back to the drawing board. I don't know what he anticipated.

Tim is a culture reporter at Mashable, where he writes about everything from food to fitness to weird stuff on the internet. He's posting a lot about Buffalo wings on the social networking site.