Recently, X has made it possible to declare via an option that your account is parody, via a simple checkbox. At the time of writing, we cannot find the setting by digging through the settings but we can access it from this link.
A robot head for parodies
The addition was noticed by Swak, which has made a specialty of announcing in advance the new features of the social network, as well as other services and applications. He was also the one who spotted the actual addition.
Remember that in the first months following the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk and before the network became X, imitations and usurpations of accounts were numerous. The fault is the change in the famous blue check mark, which was previously placed to mark the authenticity of the account. Verification had been replaced by subscribing to the Premium subscription, allowing jokers to appear like so many celebrities, including Elon Musk. A subject that particularly annoyed him.
The addition does not change the current rules on parody accounts, which must mention this aspect of their editorial line in the account name, not just in the bio.
Swak notes, however, that the option has a strange way of flagging parody accounts, at least for now: the robot head emoji. A singular choice, which seems to indicate that the account is a bot. We tested the option, but the emoji did not appear. It may be necessary to wait.
Bluesky more “aggressive” on identity theft
For its part, Bluesky raises its voice on everything related to imitations and usurpations. The network, whose success is growing, has seen a significant flow of new Internet users arrive in recent weeks. On Friday evening, one of the official accounts, Bluesky Safety, published a thread to address the situation.
Aware that the massive arrival of new users leads to a change, she insists on the importance of identifying real accounts. Working « behind the scenes to help many organizations and personalities set up their verified domain names », the company indicates that it has modified its conditions of use. Objective, to make them more “ aggressive » in the face of usurpations.
« Parody, satire, or fan accounts are allowed on Bluesky, but they must clearly identify themselves in both the display name and bio to help others know that the account is not official “, says Bluesky, repeating the line from X here. If any of these elements are missing, the account will receive an identity theft label which is not authorized. The next step will be to delete the account.
Bluesky adds thinking about “ additional options to improve account verification », following numerous comments to this effect. “ We hope to be able to tell you more soon », adds the company.
