Source: NurPhoto / Getty
After months of speculation and leaks, Twitter’s “revamped” verification system is here.
Twitter announced on Thursday (May.20) it has begun to roll out its new verification process slowly plus shared what criteria have to be met to obtain the highly-coveted blue checkmark details on how it will approve applications from now on. The announcement comes after months of speculation and “leaks” hinting at the return of the process.
As detailed in a blog post, Twitter says it has been working on the new verification process for the past several months and that the new policy is shaped by public feedback and should bring some much-needed clarity to the process that was put on ice in November 2017 after it was criticized for verifying a white supremacist. Following that bonehead decision, Twitter admitted that verifying accounts became confusing and is now hoping this new verification process will clear things up.
Now, according to Twitter, your profile must fit the criteria of one of these six categories:
- Government
- Companies, brands, and organizations
- News organizations and journalists
- Entertainment
- Sports and gaming
- Activists, organizers, and other influential individuals
Your account must also “your account must be complete, meaning you have a profile name, a profile image and either a confirmed email address or phone number. Your account must also be active within the last six months and have a record of adherence to the Twitter Rules. You can read more about ineligible accounts in the policy as well.”
Users will be able to shoot their shot for verification by simply going to the Account Settings tab “over the next few weeks.” Once your application has been submitted, Twitter says you can expect a response “within a few days,” but we expect that to take a bit longer depending on the volume of applications it receives. Twitter revealed in the briefing with journalists that humans will review all applications.
Once approved, your blue check will appear next to your username. If Twitter rejects your application, you can submit another one after 30 days.
On top of the new verification process, Twitter is also testing changes to profiles, like the addition of a dedicated field for pronouns — which Twitter did confirm is coming — joining other social media platforms like Slack and Instagram. Twitter’s product lead for profiles and identity, B Byrne, also revealed that automated accounts (bots) would be slapped with a label to help human users identify them. Twitter says we can expect that feature to roll out sometime in July.
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Photo: NurPhoto / Getty
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