Twitter users are unhappy with a recent update that removed the option to hide their blue checks.
Twitter’s blue checkmark used to mean that a profile or account was verified and noteworthy, boosting trust and authenticity for followers. However, Elon Musk’s decision to monetize verification backfired spectacularly. A wave of hilarious (and sometimes concerning) imposter accounts flooded the platform, mimicking brands and celebrities with newly purchased blue ticks.
The “pay-to-play” verification system backfired with memes mocking paid users. In response, X rolled out an “opt-out” feature in August, allowing verified accounts to hide their blue checkmarks.
Just this month, X abruptly scrapped the ability for X Premium users to hide their blue checkmarks. The “hide checkmark” feature, once touted as a perk that would “continue to evolve,” was silently removed from X’s X Premium page after April 6th.
X’s decision to remove checkmark hiding follows a recent controversy surrounding blue check distribution. In April 2023, Twitter verified celebrity accounts with more than a million followers. Last week, X sparked further debate by awarding blue checks to accounts with only 2,500 paid verifications. Removing the blue checkmark further complicates the value of verification and fuels concerns about the platform’s direction. The date for disabling the ‘hide checkmark’ feature remains under wraps. More to come on this news.
