I’ve been forcibly blue

If you've been on X, the Elon Musk-owned platform formerly known as Twitter, over the past day or so, you've likely seen at least one influential account you follow share their shock(and dismay) over receiving a blue checkmark on their profile.

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As previously reported, Musk changed the verification rules on X – once again. Now, any user who has at least 2,500 followers who pay for the $8 per month X Premium subscription service will get a free X Premium subscription of their own. And one of the "perks" of the subscription service is the blue checkmark badge.

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Apparently, though, not too many noticed Musk's new policy before the blue checkmarks began forcing their way on to their accounts.

Well, if you received a blue checkmark on the house courtesy of Elon Musk...welcome to the club!

Last April, I became one of the first recipients of a "spite" blue checkmark, as some have come to see these badges, because I was a member of a small group including @dril who covered the Block the Blue campaign — an effort from some of the platform's power users to block any paying blue checkmark user on the site.

Here's what it's like

Many users have asked me about it over the past year, inquiring just how "paid" X looks for a user that is, well, not paying.

I can confirm that involuntarily badged users not only get the blue checkmark badge for free, but the entire suite of paid features. It is basically the same as the paid subscription service, X Premium. 

These newly blue checkmarked users can now edit their posts, create tweets longer than 280 characters, and upload videos that are up to 3 hours long. And, of course, they get the verification badge, as well as a few other smaller X Premium features.

What features don'tthey get? X's AI chatbot Grok and the longform Articles feature are currently paywalled for Premium+ subscribers who pay $16 per month. (If a user has more than 5,000 followers who pay for X Premium, Musk says they will be moved to a complimentary Premium+ subscription and get those too.)

The only noticeable difference between a paid X Premium subscription and the free ones that Musk gives out is the managed subscription option. Users with a free X Premium plan have no real subscription to manage, so there are no options on the relevant tab, just a message letting them know they have a complimentary subscription.

How to hide the blue check

One of the problems with having a blue check on the Musk version of the platform is that it's no longer a sign of actual ID verification (If anyone can buy one, then what purpose does it serve?). Plus, some users still utilize web browser plugins and extensions that automatically block blue checkmark accounts. Your account may be caught by one of those blockers inadvertently!

If you hate your new blue check, don't worry. You can hide it. Here's how:

• Go to the left-hand sidebar menu on X when you're logged into your account and click on the X Premium tab.

• Scroll down to the Customization section on the Premium page and click Profile Customization.

• From there, just tap on the option to hide your blue checkmark. 

The only thing that changes is the visible checkmark next to your name on X. All the other Premium features remain.