X verified badges begin appearing on ‘influential’ accounts

According to a number of X users, the platform is handing out “a complimentary subscription to X Premium” if a user is deemed to be an “influential member of the the community”

The change is the company’s latest attempt to get more verified accounts on the platform (PA)

A number of prominent users of X, formerly Twitter, have been given complimentary blue verification badges despite not paying for the site’s Premium subscription, sparking confusion among users of the social media site.

Accounts with large numbers of verified followers who are paying subscribers to X are being given the badges, in what is the latest change to the site’s verification system since the platform was taken over by Elon Musk in late 2022.