Micro-blogging platform Twitter is relaunching its verification service to give it more “transparency, credibility and clarity”. The company had halted the verification feature pending a review of its policies. The US-based platform has now formed six categories of people who will get the verification tag, provided they meet the company’s criteria. This includes government, companies, brands and organizations, news organizations and journalists, entertainment, sports and gaming and activists, organizers, and other influential individuals. Twitter said it was also working to add categories such as those for scientists, academicians, and religious leaders.
How can you apply to get verified?
Over the next few weeks, everyone on Twitter will start to see the new verification application directly in the Account Settings tab. If you don’t see this update immediately today, don’t worry! We’re gradually rolling it out to everyone to ensure that we can review applications in a timely manner.
The company has been doing research on automated accounts and plans to introduce a way to denote this account type in the next few months along with launching other features. The application for verification can now be submitted from within the Twitter app itself, it said.
“Over the past several months, we’ve been working to bring clarity to the verification eligibility criteria and launched a new policy shaped by public feedback. We also started enforcing that policy by automatically removing the verified badge from accounts that no longer meet the updated criteria for verification, such as those that are inactive or incomplete,” the company said in a statement.
We’re excited to share that starting today, we’ll begin rolling out our new verification application process and reviewing public applications for verification on Twitter.
Over the past several months, we’ve been working to bring clarity to the verification eligibility criteria and launched a new policy shaped by public feedback. We also started enforcing that policy by automatically removing the verified badge from accounts that no longer meet the updated criteria for verification, such as those that are inactive or incomplete. We’re grateful for all who participated in our public feedback period and shared ideas for how we can improve verification on Twitter.
Today’s application rollout marks the next milestone in our plans to give more transparency, credibility and clarity to verification on Twitter. Below, we share more about this application process and what’s next in our work to help people understand who they’re interacting with on Twitter.
What it means to be verified on Twitter
The blue badge is one of the ways we help people distinguish the authenticity of accounts that are of high public interest. It gives people on Twitter more context about who they’re having conversations with so they can determine if it’s trustworthy, which our research has shown leads to healthier, more informed conversations.
With today’s application launch, we’re also introducing new guidelines for verified accounts on Twitter. These verification guidelines are intended to encourage healthy conversations for the betterment of the Twitter community overall. They follow the philosophy to lead by example, Tweet others how they want to be Tweeted, and serve the public conversation authentically, respectfully, and with consideration. As always, all accounts, including verified accounts, must follow the Twitter Rules. And as we previously shared, verified accounts that repeatedly violate the Twitter Rules are subject to have the blue badge removed.
Who’s eligible?
To qualify for verification, you must fit the criteria of one of the six categories listed below:
- Government
- Companies, brands and organizations
- News organizations and journalists
- Entertainment
- Sports and gaming
- Activists, organizers, and other influential individuals
In addition to the category-specific eligibility criteria outlined in our verification policy, 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.
How can you apply to get verified?
Over the next few weeks, everyone on Twitter will start to see the new verification application directly in the Account Settings tab. If you don’t see this update immediately today, don’t worry! We’re gradually rolling it out to everyone to ensure that we can review applications in a timely manner.
Here’s what the application flow will look like:
Once you submit your application, you can expect an emailed response from us within a few days, but this could take up to a few weeks depending on how many open applications are in our queue. If your application is approved, you’ll see the blue badge automatically on your profile. If you think we made a mistake, reapply 30 days after receiving our decision on your application.
What’s next
We know that the current verification policy may not represent all of the people who should be eligible to be verified on Twitter, so we’re planning to introduce more categories later this year, such as those for scientists, academics, and religious leaders. To stay up-to-date with verification, be sure to follow @Verified.
We’re also excited to continue expanding the ways people can express themselves on Twitter through their profile and launching new account types. Since our last update, we’ve been doing ongoing research on automated accounts and plan to introduce a way to denote this account type in the next few months, with memorialized accounts to follow. We’re also exploring improvements to the Twitter profile to allow people to better express themselves, such as through an About page. We’ll share more on all of this soon!
We look forward to continuing our work to give people more ways to identify and express themselves on Twitter to lead to more informed, healthier conversations.