X is bringing in stricter guidelines round parody accounts.
From 10 April, accounts which impersonate one other person or particular person should use key phrases equivalent to “faux” or “parody” at the beginning of their account names.
The platform may also require parody account holders to make use of completely different pictures to the X accounts belonging to these they search to signify.
Some customers have complained about confusion brought on by parody accounts on the platform, equivalent to these impersonating its proprietor Elon Musk.
“These modifications are designed to assist customers higher perceive the unaffiliated nature of PCF accounts and cut back the danger of confusion or impersonation,” the corporate said in a post on Saturday.
It inspired affected accounts to replace their profiles by the enforcement date.
The modifications may also apply for fan and commentary accounts, it mentioned.
“Hopefully this consists of all of the hundreds of faux variations of Elon Musk accounts,” wrote one person in response to X’s put up about its coverage replace.
“About time, I get a faux Elon account contacting me nearly as soon as per week,” wrote one other.
There are a selection of parody accounts for the platform’s proprietor, figuring out themselves as impersonations in numerous methods.
Posts considered by the BBC from Elon Musk parody accounts ranged from memes and jokes, to selling cryptocurrency and automotive giveaways.
A current put up by one Elon Musk parody account, which has multiple million followers, advised customers to “like and remark” for the prospect to win a Tesla.
The put up has obtained 428,000 likes and greater than 200,000 replies.
X rolled out labels for parody accounts in January – constructing on its rules requiring customers partaking in impersonation for the aim of leisure to establish themselves as such.
These, and the platform’s blue tick verification system, have been cited as instruments to stop deceptive impersonation whereas permitting speech and dialogue.
However the effectiveness of such measures have been disputed.
The EU mentioned in July 2024 that the blue ticks breached its on-line content material guidelines, with its “verified” blue tick accounts having the potential to “deceive” users.
Musk referred to as the EU’s guidelines “misinformation”, in response.
Following his takeover in November 2022, the Tesla chief govt mentioned accounts engaging in unlabelled impersonation would be banned.
Many parody accounts on X establish their parody nature in brackets on the finish of person names, however this isn’t a fool-proof measure.
If a parody account’s title is especially lengthy, and solely a shortened model seems in feeds or replies, customers can unwittingly duped – particularly if the account’s picture matches that of the actual particular person.
