X can be a minefield these days for many users, with porn bots and engagement farmers and other unsavory things. Yet for sports fans, parody and impersonation accounts can be the most infuriating experience on the site.
The social media platform has announced a crackdown on those faux and misleading accounts. Regarding parody accounts, there is now an “option” for account owners to clearly label their account as parody. According to X, “This label ensures people on X are not confused by your account, informing them that your account is not affiliated with the subject of the profile.” Calling it an “option” might be misleading, however, because it’s not hard to imagine accounts that don’t follow that suggestion being punished in some form.
X also posted a rule prohibiting the use of fake personas “to engage in disruptive or deceptive behavior.”
Additionally, the platform enacted tougher regulations against impersonation: “You may not impersonate other identities of individuals, groups, or organizations to deceive others.”
Such a crackdown is long overdue. Parody and impersonation accounts have fooled fans, reporters, athletes and coaches. Late last year, an account impersonating ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, using his name and a similar bio photo, posted that an NFL team owner’s name had been leaked off the Epstein client list. The post generated some two million views and was up for six hours before being removed.
It doesn’t, however, appear X is attempting to discourage parody accounts, some of which are quite popular. In fact, according to Front Office Sports, one such parody account, NBA Centel, is taking credit for the new regulations. NBA Centel, which parodies the NBA Central account, called it the “NBA Centel Rule.”
“The Centel Rule.” https://t.co/XiTyA5VTRy pic.twitter.com/Qsop8CY5a3
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) November 29, 2024
But impersonation accounts have infuriated many fans and tricked many reporters. Earlier this year, a USA Today reporter filed a report saying Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was transferring based on a post from an account impersonating the Crimson Tide star. But there’s a long list of top sports reporters who have been fooled by this scourge.
The new rule should help re-establish legitimacy in distinguishing the accounts of notable persons or institutions. That legitimacy used to be denoted by blue check marks, before new owner Elon Musk assumed control over the site and began selling those for a few dollars a month.
