It was in November 2017 that Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, admitted that the procedure for verifying accounts was “broken.” It was an unclear, confusing process and, in the absence of a better one, the social network of the blue bird decided to close it. Four years have passed since then and, after collecting user comments, Twitter has just announced that it is resuming profile verification.
We knew since June ( unofficially ) and since November ( officially ) 2020 that Twitter was working on a new verification method, a method that, they assure from the platform, gives “more transparency, credibility and clarity to verification on Twitter.” Next we will review all the news related to the new Twitter verification system and the plans that the company has in mind. You can read the article on how to verify your twitter account.
Verification yes, but not for all
For those who are not a Twitter user, a verified profile is one that has a blue badge to the right of the name. It serves to identify the authenticity of the accounts that, according to Twitter, “are of great public interest”. According to the platform, the new verification guides are based on three principles: “lead by example, tweet others how we would like them to tweet us, and serve the public conversation authentically, with respect and consideration.”
Who can be verified? For the moment, government; companies, brands and organizations; news organizations and journalists; entertainment; sports and video games; activists, organizers and other influential individuals. Within each category there are a series of requirements that must be met and which are detailed in the verification policy. You can find all the criteria here, but to give us an idea, this is the definition of “government” and its criteria:
” Government : accounts of current key public officials and positions, including heads of state, elected officials, appointed ministers, institutional entities, ambassadors and official spokespersons. Official candidates for public office at the state or national level may also be verified in certain countries, when available resources allow us to do so fairly and equitably.
To do this, there must be a public reference to the account on an official government or party site or publication, or multiple references in the media.
Official accounts of public services and other services can also be verified, as can people in leadership positions and official spokespersons.”
On the other hand, the accounts must be authentic, that is, have a verified identity. This can be done through a link to an official website that refers to the person or organization, through a photo of an identification document issued by a government (DNI, passport…) or with an official email account with a relevant domain. in the category (@ amazon.com, @ educacion.gob.es, etc.).
In addition, the accounts must have a profile name, a profile photo and a confirmed email or mobile phone. It will also be necessary that the account has been active in the last six months and that it has a “record of adherence to the rules of Twitter”. It should be noted that accounts that are already verified will not have to repeat the process and will maintain their status.
With this on the table, how can you ask for verification? Over the next few weeks, everyone on Twitter will see a new option in the app settings to request verification. They will simply have to choose the category that corresponds to their account, offer an identity verification, and wait one to four weeks. The time will depend on the volume of requests that Twitter receives. In the case of being accepted, the badge will appear on the account. In case of being denied, we will be able to try again after 30 days.
What’s to come to Twitter profile verification
The return of the verification of accounts is, without a doubt, the main novelty, but it is not the only one. On the one hand, from Twitter they claim to be planning to add other categories eligible for profile verification, such as scientists, academics and religious leaders, something that should arrive throughout this summer. On the other hand, they are investigating new ways to improve the identity of the profiles.
Over the next few months they will announce a kind of badge that will allow the identification of automated accounts or bots, which will allow the user to know if there is a person or an automatic system behind the profile. They also plan to launch memorial accounts and new options for profiles, namely: an “About me” tab, pronouns (He / Him, She / Her) and a badge indicating that the profile is confirmed, either via phone or via email..