Elon Musk tries to avoid EU wrath by revealing how meaningless X verification is

While the blue checkmark of verification used to be something prized by Twitter users, the takeover of the platform by Elon Musk, and the introduction of the option to buy a checkmark rendered it less valuable or meaningful.

More than this, last year the European Commission voiced concerns about the potential for confusion, suggesting X was violating the Digital Services Act. Now, in what appears to be an attempt to stave off legal action or fines, X is displaying a message that downplays the value of the checkmark.

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The European Commission found numerous faults with the verification system on X, including that it runs counter to industry practice and is deceptive. It also pointed to evidence of malicious actors exploiting the system.

It said:

Since anyone can subscribe to obtain such a “verified” status, it negatively affects users' ability to make free and informed decisions about the authenticity of the accounts and the content they interact with.

Now, as noted by Bloomberg, “X is showing users a prominent disclaimer about the platform’s blue checkmark program in a bid to appease concerns from the European Union’s content regulators that it’s deceptive and should be overhauled”.

The message echoes some of what is said in X’s Help Center about checkmarks:

The blue checkmark means that an account has an active subscription to X Premium and meets our eligibility requirements. These accounts may represent an individual or an organization. Accounts that receive the blue checkmark as part of a Premium subscription will not undergo review to confirm that they meet the active, notable and authentic criteria that was used in the previous process. If a Premium subscriber also opts for ID verification, the account will undergo review to confirm that it meets the ID verification criteria. 

Whether the information popping up in front of users will have much impact or result in increased trust remains to be seen. But with Musk having previously been very bullish about fighting European legislation, it is an interesting climb down.

Image credit: Eduard Goricev / Dreamstime.com