X’s Premium users can no longer hide their blue checks

X giveth, and now X taketh away. The platform is eliminating the flexibility for Premium customers to cover their blue checkmarks, based on a notification obtained by a number of customers on Thursday. X made displaying the blue examine non-compulsory final summer season, and it’s unclear precisely why the platform plans to take away the function — or when.

As soon as a standing image, the blue examine misplaced a few of its luster after X shifted to a paid verification system underneath Elon Musk’s possession. A blue examine then simply grew to become an indicator that the account holder paid for a Premium subscription. The function was additionally abused by scammers and on-line impersonators, and a few blue checks grew to become the goal of on-line harassment or mass blocking. X ultimately rolled out the blue examine to accounts with greater than one million followers, overlaying most dwelling celebrities (and a few lifeless) in addition to public figures. 

Simply final week, the platform doled out free blue checks to accounts with excessive numbers of verified followers — whether or not the homeowners wished them or not. The transfer (regardless of being announced earlier by proprietor Elon Musk) took a few of these customers without warning. Numerous newly-minted Premium and Premium Plus customers later opted to cover their blue checks as a way to keep away from the latest stigma round it. Now, it seems these customers can have no selection within the matter.