X users were surprised this week to find that they had been given a blue check mark on their accounts, signaling verification. This unexpected move came after Elon Musk announced a policy change last month that would grant verified accounts with over 2,500 subscriber followers free access to premium features, including the coveted blue check. Many popular figures, from YouTubers to journalists to Luke Skywalker himself, received the blue check mark, causing confusion and concern among users who were unsure of the criteria for verification.
Despite the initial excitement of receiving a blue check mark, some high-profile users have sought to distance themselves from this new form of verification. Figures like Mark Hamill and AI ethicist Timnit Gebru expressed reluctance and even purposefully hid their blue checks to avoid association with Elon Musk and his platform. Others, like Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, did the same to send a message of refusal to support Musk’s endeavors, despite being verified.
It is unclear whether accounts with gold or gray check marks contribute to the criteria for verification, but X users have speculated that the company’s move to verify popular accounts aims to increase the prestige of being verified and potentially encourage more users to pay for premium features. With no clear way to opt-out of this verification, users have raised concerns about the potential impact on their feeds, as the new wave of blue-checked accounts may disrupt tactics like “blue blocking” that filter out verified accounts.
