Elon Musk’s DOGE isn’t an official department, yet it has a government checkmark on X

• Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Elon Musk would co-lead his new government efficiency drive.
• The unofficial Department of Government Efficiency is already verified on X with a gray tick.
• Gray checkmarks are usually reserved for official government accounts and government officials.

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is already verified on X as an official government entity, and could be in violation of the platform’s rules on verification.

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Tesla CEO Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency, nicknamed DOGE.

Trump said the new agency would work to cut regulation and slash spending.

The former and future president said Musk and Ramaswamy will “provide advice and guidance from outside of Government.”

After less than two days, the DOGE account on X has the platform’s gray verified checkmark, which is used to identify government or multilateral organization accounts.

According to X’s rules on checkmarks, organizations eligible for the gray checkmark are generally reserved for executive office accounts, government agency accounts, and embassy and state-level accounts, as well as accounts held by government officials and heads of state.

As DOGE is not an official government department, having the gray checkmark may violate X’s rules.

Musk used X as a megaphone for his outspoken support of Donald Trump during the election campaign, frequently posting messages of support for the former president and using the site to try and win over other Silicon Valley billionaires.

After the president-elect confirmed Musk’s new role, the Tesla CEO said he planned to post a public leaderboard of “the most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars” and let users weigh in on specific potential cuts.

Musk has also hailed Trump’s election victory as vindication of his $44 billion purchase of X, then called Twitter, in 2022, repeatedly telling users, “You are the media now” in the aftermath of the result.

X did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside normal working hours.