Elon Musk’s X dropped its legacy verification program for users back when the platform was still known as Twitter. Since then, X has been a haven for misinformation and racism.
However, according to X’s new head of product, Nikita Bier, the site is planning an overhaul to profiles in an attempt to restore user trust. In a post on X, Bier explained that the platform is currently testing out a new profile display that lists what country the user is based in, when they joined the site, how the user accessed X, and how many username changes the account has undergone.
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X users can currently list their location in their profile. However, it appears the new profile information page is not user-generated. The platform will display where the account is based out of via the location the user actually posts from.
“When you read content on X, you should be able to verify its authenticity,” Bier posted on X. “This is critical to getting a pulse on important issues happening in the world.”
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Bier says there will be “toggles” which will allow users to make specific information private in order to protect certain users’ privacy. However, Bier says any information that’s configured by a user will be highlighted so other users know too. Bier also shared that they are experimenting with exactly what information to include in this section as well, so new account data may be added or removed as X tests out the feature.
The blue verification badge was once an indicator that a user was a trustworthy source on X. However, after Musk acquired the company, he removed the old verification system which required that the company itself verify noteworthy users like politicians, journalists, and celebrities. Now, any user can pay $8 per month to sign up for X Premium and receive a blue verification badge. As a result, spammers and provocateurs have weaponized their verified status in order to spread scams and misinformation on the platform.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, provides similar types of information for certain pages and profiles on their platform. For example, a user can go to the about section of any Facebook Page and see the country of origin for the users behind the page, as well as any name changes the page has gone through.
According to Bier, X will begin rolling the new policy out on a “handful” of X employees’ profiles in order to get feedback.
