Elon Musk’s social media platform X ( previously Twitter ) declares in a number of recent updates that it is reintroducing the blue verification checkmark for powerful users who refuse to pay for the privilege.
Quartz information that , Elon Musk, the owner of X/Twitter, announced on Thursday that a program to clean the site of machines and trolls is officially “underway”. Musk directed users to record any reasonable accounts that were unintentionally suspended as a result of this process in a blog on the platform. Alternatively, they can contact the established account for X’s Item and Infrastructure teams, @XEng.
System clean of machines &, trolls live.
If reasonable accounts are suspended, please respond to @XEng or me.
X Corp may follow the individuals concerned and use the full force of the law against them.
— Elon Musk ( @elonmusk ) April 4, 2024
X/Twitter’s health staff stated that this program is part of a broader effort to make the software” a better, safer place for everyone”. The group emphasized that they are” casting a broad internet to assure X remains secure and free of bots” and that this strategic approach may help reduce accounts that violate the product’s anti-fraud policies.
People have been complaining about the increasing occurrence of machines on the program, many of which have also been “verified” by X/Twitter. Consumers are unable to find authentic responses from real people because these automated accounts frequently respond to posts with nonsensical or unrelated articles.
According to a report from Breitbart News, the program also has a significant porn issue that involves bots:
One particularly popular type of article on X, according to John Herrman of , New York newspaper, frequently involves the word “pussy in bio,” which can often lead people to basic scams. These posts, often generated by video spambots, pull depressed individuals into following a series of links, promising to attach them with nearby singles. The ease with which these scams spread on the platform highlights X/Twitter’s inability to effectively combat the problem at a global scale.
Beyond the” PIB” scams, X has become a haven for OnlyFans creators looking to market themselves. While Twitter, even before Musk’s acquisition, had liberal content policies allowing for porn when correctly labeled and restricted from certain high- profile areas, the current situation on X/Twitter has escalated. According to Herrman, the platform is currently flooded with posts promoting OnlyFans agencies, which are essentially OnlyFans creators ‘ accounts staffed by call center workers impersonating real people and run in a similar fashion to flirt websites.
X/Twitter has also started reintroducing blue checkmarks for some accounts without charging them an$ 8 monthly subscription fee in conjunction with the bot bot crackdown. Prior to Musk’s acquisition of the platform in October 2022, public figures, organizations, and other notable accounts could apply for verification for free. The business was infamous for using verification to defy conservatives and advance leftists. However, after the takeover, only paying subscribers were allowed to keep their blue checks.
Elon Musk looks puzzled ( Anadolu Agency/Getty )
Some users were regarded as “influential members of the community,” so starting late on Wednesday, some users were given complimentary Premium subscriptions along with their reinstated blue checkmarks. Accounts with more than 2,500 verified subscriber followers will receive the Blue Check and Premium features for free, according to Mussk, while those with more than 5, 000 subscriber followers will receive the$ 16- per-month Premium + subscription at no cost.
Numerous well-known users took to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction with the restored blue checks. Community actor Yvette Nicole Brown wrote,” What happened? I did n’t pay for this. I would NEVER pay for this”. Similarly, Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright shared a screenshot of the notification he received about his complimentary subscription, sarcastically commenting,” Translation: Pay$ 8? Kidding. Help me. But please do n’t make any overt remarks about me or my disgusting Garbage Tower of Babel.
The Wire creator David Simon was particularly blunt in his reaction, stating,” Yo, Elon, take this blue check and scratch your taint with the long end of it. Does anyone know how to “turn this fucker off”? Interestingly, Simon’s checkmark was removed shortly after.
Read more at Quartz here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News, covering issues involving online censorship and free speech.
