Elon Musk locks display names of verified users; then backtracks
What's the story
Elon Musk is angry at all the Twitter users with a blue tick who changed their names to mock him. Or rather, he was. Many verified Twitter users found out today that they are unable to change their display names. This came after Musk announced a ban on impersonating accounts. Twitter later rolled back the restriction. Verified accounts can now change their display names.
Context
Why does this story matter?
We are witnessing a new battle with Musk as the protagonist or antagonist (depending on whether you have a blue tick or not). On the other side, we have verified Twitterati. They annoyed Musk by creating parody accounts of him. He retaliated by stopping them from changing their names. They can now change it but Musk may have something else in store for them.
Display name
Verified users got an error message while changing display names
Earlier today, Twitter users with a blue tick who tried to change their display names were not able to do it. When they tried, they were shown an error message saying, "the operation couldn't be completed." This put many who changed their names casually into weird names in a tough position. Several verified users took to Twitter to complain about this issue.
Twitter Post
Some were stuck with weird names
guess i’m stuck with this display name for a while! https://t.co/hLPGF1DWCR
— great job with the website, bro (@nedwards) November 8, 2022
Twitter Post
This user wasn't able to add her second name
I just tried to change my display name for my Twitter account from just my first name to my full name and got this. I assume that everyone with holiday joke names is now stuck that way forever. pic.twitter.com/SwdGQtDJxL
— Eva (@evacide) November 8, 2022
Ban
Musk announced that impersonating accounts will be banned
Twitter's decision to block verified accounts from changing their display name came after some users with a blue tick created parody accounts with Musk's name and profile picture. The company's new owner-cum-CEO came out swinging against them saying such accounts without the word 'parody' will be permanently suspended. Musk also said, "any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark."
Backtracked
Users were able to change their names after few hours
Many verified users wanted to hear from Twitter about why they can't change their display names. However, after a few hours, it seems that the issue fixed itself. Users who were stuck with their Halloween-themed names or any other weird names were able to revert back to their original display names. Neither Twitter nor Musk has said anything about this yet.
Twitter Post
She finally changed Boo-urns to Burns
Wait it worked holy shit
— Katelyn Burns (@transscribe) November 8, 2022
Twitter Post
The restriction has seemingly rolled back
And… rollback!!
— Emily Gorcenski (@EmilyGorcenski) November 8, 2022