X Gives Out Blue Ticks For Free To Some Users — Here's Why

Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) has triggered confusion by randomly handing out free blue checkmarks to some users.

For years, those coveted blue checks were Twitter’s way of verifying high-profile accounts but after the takeover, X started charging $8 monthly for the same.

X stripped countless A-listers of their blue checks in the process. It led to a mess of complaints and impersonators slapping on fake ticks.

Now some users like Yvette Nicole Brown have got their blue ticks back for free. Let us understand why this happened.

Last week, Musk announced that accounts with over 2,500 verified followers would get free Premium perks (aka blue ticks).

He added that the accounts crossing 5,000 verified followers would get the Premium+ tier gratis.

The fine print on this policy pivot is still unclear though cloudy. The only heads-up some saw was a vague notification dubbing them an 'influential member of the community'.

A few users welcomed their surprise verification with happiness.

There were also others like YNB who groaned about being mistaken for paying for the blue tick.