Parody Accounts on X Will Face Stricter Rules Very Soon

X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, has announced new rules for accounts that create parody, fan content, or commentary. According to a report by the BBC, these changes will take effect on April 10.

The updated policy states that any account designed to look like another person or organization must clearly display either “fake” or “parody” at the start of its name. Additionally, the profile picture used by these accounts must be different from the real person or group they are imitating.

X explained that these new steps are intended to help people better understand that these types of accounts are not officially connected to the individuals or organizations they represent. The company also stated that this will reduce the chances of users being confused or misled. X is asking users with affected accounts to make these necessary updates before the April 10 deadline.

X’s decision to introduce stricter rules comes after numerous complaints from its user base, especially regarding parody accounts of Musk. Following the announcement of new rules, one X user expressed hope that the new regulations would address the “thousands of fake variations of Elon Musk accounts.” Another user commented that it was “about time,” noting they receive messages from fake Elon accounts almost weekly.

Some of these imposter accounts even share memes or fraudulent giveaways. One account with over a million followers recently told users to “like and comment” for a chance to win a Tesla, which resulted in 428,000 likes and over 200,000 replies.