Think you’re influential on Twitter? The microblogging service is reopening applications for account verification.
To bring more clarity to the process, it also launched a new set of policies, based on accounts being authentic, notable, and active.
“The application rollout marks the next milestone in our plans to give more transparency, credibility and clarity to verification on Twitter,” it said on its blog.
Twitter requires applicants to confirm their identity through one of three methods: having an official website, ID verification like a driver’s license or passport, or an official email address.
It has six categories of accounts deemed notable, including governments; companies, brands and organisations; news organisations and journalists; entertainment; sports and gaming; as well as activists, organisers and other influential individuals.
The company said it will also introduce more categories later this year, like scientists, academics, and religious leaders.
On the flipside, it spells out several categories that will not be given verification including parody, newsfeed, commentary and fan accounts; pets and fictional characters not directly affiliated with a verified entity; accounts with rule violations; or those associated with hate content and coordinated harmful activities.
“The blue badge is one of the ways we help people distinguish the authenticity of accounts that are of high public interest,” it said, adding that the verification guidelines are intended to encourage healthy conversations for the betterment of the Twitter community.
To be eligible for verification, users must also have a complete account, meaning the user has a profile name, profile image and either a confirmed email address or phone number.
The account must also have been active within the last six months and have a record of adherence to Twitter’s rules.
The social network will automatically remove the verified badge from accounts that no longer meet the updated criteria for verification, such as those that are inactive or incomplete.
The option to be verified will be rolled out in stages, and can be found in the Account Settings tab.
Applicants can expect an emailed response within a few days to a few weeks, depending on the number of applications in their queue.
If approved, users will see the blue badge automatically on their profile. Those that fail can reapply 30 days after receiving Twitter’s decision.
Twitter halted verifications back in 2017 due to confusion that verification was perceived as an account being endorsed by the company.
Verification was meant to authenticate identity & voice but it is interpreted as an endorsement or an indicator of importance. We recognize that we have created this confusion and need to resolve it. We have paused all general verifications while we work and will report back soon
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 9, 2017
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