diff --git a/indra/newview/app_settings/settings.xml b/indra/newview/app_settings/settings.xml
index 6e7d85107221216f841df1d079f0690e60902ed4..acd3c10ec63e832a5e1dc1665f67462b0af0d1d6 100644
--- a/indra/newview/app_settings/settings.xml
+++ b/indra/newview/app_settings/settings.xml
@@ -7337,6 +7337,17 @@
       <key>Value</key>
       <integer>1</integer>
     </map>
+    <key>NameTagShowFriends</key>
+    <map>
+      <key>Comment</key>
+      <string>Highlight the name tags of your friends</string>
+      <key>Persist</key>
+      <integer>1</integer>
+      <key>Type</key>
+      <string>Boolean</string>
+      <key>Value</key>
+      <integer>0</integer>
+    </map>
     <key>NameTagShowUsernames</key>
     <map>
       <key>Comment</key>
diff --git a/indra/newview/llvoavatar.cpp b/indra/newview/llvoavatar.cpp
index 40e1f31697926f8f84db1e2072a934fb95c10479..a9250991f6fb1e0573854eb51ae378826d847f0e 100644
--- a/indra/newview/llvoavatar.cpp
+++ b/indra/newview/llvoavatar.cpp
@@ -3072,14 +3072,15 @@ void LLVOAvatar::idleUpdateNameTagAlpha(BOOL new_name, F32 alpha)
 
 LLColor4 LLVOAvatar::getNameTagColor(bool is_friend)
 {
+	static LLUICachedControl<bool> show_friends("NameTagShowFriends");
 	const char* color_name;
-	if (is_friend)
+	if (show_friends && is_friend)
 	{
 		color_name = "NameTagFriend";
 	}
 	else if (LLAvatarNameCache::useDisplayNames())
 	{
-		// ...color based on whether SLID "matches" a computed display
+		// ...color based on whether username "matches" a computed display
 		// name
 		LLAvatarName av_name;
 		if (LLAvatarNameCache::get(getID(), &av_name)
diff --git a/indra/newview/skins/default/colors.xml b/indra/newview/skins/default/colors.xml
index bb43de6ada193f3d6e8eacfaeab769abe77cab56..bfa57892a7fb161671b83d2a6fc67b26ef9c8dba 100644
--- a/indra/newview/skins/default/colors.xml
+++ b/indra/newview/skins/default/colors.xml
@@ -550,7 +550,7 @@
      reference="White" />
     <color
      name="NameTagMismatch"
-     value="1 0.776 0.212 1" />
+     reference="White" />
     <color
      name="NameTagSLID"
      value="1 1 1 1" />
diff --git a/indra/newview/skins/default/xui/en/panel_preferences_general.xml b/indra/newview/skins/default/xui/en/panel_preferences_general.xml
index 5f50b962ee969feb10140c855049e2d52f4547a3..eabbdc218649f4b78d80c79ab002e223a6acc632 100644
--- a/indra/newview/skins/default/xui/en/panel_preferences_general.xml
+++ b/indra/newview/skins/default/xui/en/panel_preferences_general.xml
@@ -256,7 +256,16 @@
      name="show_my_name_checkbox1"
 	 top_pad="4"
      width="300" />
-   <text
+  <check_box
+    control_name="NameTagShowFriends"
+    enabled_control="AvatarNameTagMode"
+    height="16"
+    label="Highlight friends"
+    left_delta="0"
+    name="show_friends"
+    tool_tip="Highlight the name tags of your friends"
+    top_pad="2" />
+  <text
     follows="left|top"
     height="15"
 	layout="topleft"