Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, has made a surprising move by reinstating complimentary blue checks for certain users, causing confusion on the platform. The blue checks, which used to signify verification for celebrities, politicians, and influential accounts, were altered after Musk acquired the platform for $44 billion in October 2022.
Previously, X began offering verification checks only to users who paid a monthly fee of $8, leading to the removal of badges from many prominent accounts. This change resulted in complaints, confusion, and an increase in fake accounts impersonating verified users.
Recently, users noticed the return of blue checks to their accounts without subscribing to the premium services on X. Musk announced that accounts with over 2,500 verified subscriber followers would receive Premium features, including a checkmark, for free. Accounts with more than 5,000 followers would get Premium+ for free.
The specific rationale behind this new policy remains unclear, as X has not provided a comment on the matter. Reactions to the reinstated blue checks have been mixed, with some users expressing excitement while others voiced frustration.
Notable figures, such as actress Yvette Nicole Brown, questioned the unexpected verification, stating they never intended to pay for such a feature. Some users shared instructions on how to remove the blue check from their accounts through settings changes.
While the blue check has become a symbol of support for X's new ownership and subscription model, some users received notifications attributing their free Premium subscription to being influential community members on X.
Aside from the blue check controversy, X has faced criticism from users and advertisers regarding content moderation, misinformation, and hate speech on the platform. Major brands like IBM and NBCUniversal pulled their ads from X after reports of their ads appearing alongside pro-Nazi content.
In response to the backlash, Musk lashed out at the companies, accusing them of blackmail and urging them to leave. X has also taken legal action against organizations documenting hate speech and racism on the platform, with a recent lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate being dismissed by a federal judge.
