Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), is automatically awarding free verification badges (blue ticks) to its most-followed users sparking confusion on the service.
The decision reverses the previous policy of X that required payment for verification status.
Previously, X, under Musk’s leadership, aimed to increase subscriptions to its premium service by making verification a paid feature. For $8 per month, users who subscribed received a number of benefits, including fewer advertisements and a blue tick next to their profile. However, in a surprising turn, Elon Musk seems to have reversed his stance.
Previously, X, under Musk’s leadership, aimed to increase subscriptions to its premium service by making verification a paid feature. For $8 per month, users who subscribed received a number of benefits, including fewer advertisements and a blue tick next to their profile. However, in a surprising turn, Elon Musk seems to have reversed his stance.
This comes after a post made on his official X account, last week, “Going forward, all 𝕏 accounts with over 2500 verified subscriber followers will get Premium features for free and accounts with over 5000 will get Premium+ for free.”
The reaction to this change has been mixed. Some users are surprised or unhappy about receiving the free blue tick, particularly those who never intended to pay for the premium service. One user @womensart1 said, “Just to say, WA didn’t apply for a blue tick….it just arrived…” Another user @MirhaAfridi said, “X gave me blue tick for free. Did you receive this notification❓”
The exact number of users receiving the free blue tick still remains unclear.
