Verified Twitter/X.com users can now hide their blue checkmarks whenever.
The company recently updated its support page, which now states that verified users can choose to hide their blue checkmark if they so wish.
However, the ability to do so comes with some twists users must live with if they hide their blue checkmarks.
In this photo illustration, a Verified Twitter Account seen INDIA - 2022/12/18: In this photo illustration, a Verified Twitter Account seen displayed on a smartphone with a Twitter logo in the background. (Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A Disappearing Act
Twitter, now known as X.com, decided to give its verified users a way to make their verified status hidden. According to the support page the company updated, Twitter Blue verified users can choose to hide their blue checkmark on their profile and posts if they wish.
This change hugely benefits verified users concerned about unverified ones pointing out that they "paid for Twitter." A report from The Verge mentioned that if a tweet from a verified user went viral, its comments are likely filled with memes about them paying for Twitter.
There are even tools that help users block any Twitter user who paid to get verified on the platform. The feature can also help verified users benefit from subscription features without showing that they paid to get Twitter Blue verification, per Tech Crunch.
Verified users who wish to hide their blue checkmark can do so by visiting the Profile customization section of Twitter's account settings. Unfortunately, the ability to hide blue checkmarks comes at a cost some people might consider too high to pay.
Twitter's support page states that the blue checkmark could still appear in some places on Twitter. Additionally, some features could still reveal that a verified user paid to get verified on the platform.
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Furthermore, verified users who hide their blue checkmark can't access some features while their blue checkmark is hidden - a measure that could prevent user impersonation.
Unfortunately, Twitter/X.com didn't disclose what features it is referring to in its new Twitter Blue feature.
This feature could be the same one app reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi previously noted in March. He wrote that Twitter "keeps working on the ability to control everything related to account verification and identity." one of these methods was the option to show or hide verified users' blue checkmarks on their profiles.
Regardless, Twitter/X.com stated it would continue to evolve its newly released feature to improve it for verified users.
A Good Attempt
While Twitter/X.com now gives verified users the choice of showing their blue checkmark or not on their profile and posts, there are ways to figure out if a user is verified or not.
One such way is the use of browser extensions that helps people determine who paid for a Twitter Blue subscription. These extensions include Eight Dollars, Twitter Blue Nerd, and Control Panel for Twitter.
These extensions became popular in April when Twitter made distinguishing between legacy verified Twitter accounts and users who paid to get verified difficult. You may recall that Twitter struggled in phasing out the verifications of verified users before Elon Musk's takeover of the company.
Related Article: These Browser Extensions Help Identify Verified Twitter Blue Subscribers
