Elon Musk is removing the ability for X Premium users to hide their blue checkmarks, once a Twitter status symbol turned into a shameful receipt of payment for boosted posts, according to a notification sent to users on Thursday.
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“The hide your checkmark feature of X Premium is going away soon,” read a notification sent to X users on Thursday night. “Tap to manage your X Premium features.”
X’s blue checkmarks have changed quite frequently in the last year. Just last week, Musk reinstated an old Twitter policy he once called a “lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark” in 2022, shortly before asking users to pay $8 a month for the once-free premium features. Nearly two years later, X does both, automatically granting popular users blue checkmarks and boosted content while also allowing people to buy their way to blue checks.
When Musk automatically gifted popular X users blue checkmarks last week, the platform revolted. Users quickly disclosed they did not, and would never, pay for the feature. People quickly searched for the settings to hide this blue checkmark, marking a final fall from grace for Twitter’s old verification service. While blue checks were once a highly regarded mark of internet fame, it’s now a sign of support for the platform’s controversial, billionaire owner.
The feature to hide blue checkmarks was originally introduced in Aug. 2023. The policy aimed to encourage people to buy X Premium without the shame that came with its blue checkmark. However, the “hidden status” feature is soon going away, presumably less than a year later.
Now, many of X’s high-status, blue-check-marked users face a difficult choice. They can continue using X with their blue checkmarks, and face whatever scrutiny comes along with it. Or, they can simply stop using the platform. It’s a move that could push many of X’s beloved creators to the brink. Many users have already left the platform for Threads or other Twitter competitors.
This is a typical Elon Musk ultimatum, where he asks people to do things his way or leave. It’s not so different from when Musk told advertisers to “go f—k themselves” if they didn’t like his “free speech policies,” as he calls them. Or how Musk told Cybertruck owners he would penalize them if they resold their vehicle in the first year. X is increasingly becoming Elon Musk’s sandbox, where you play by his rules or hit the road.