Twitter has finally reopened its verification process for the first time since 2017 with a new set of guidelines.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The micro-blogging platform says users will be able to apply to get the blue badge over the next few weeks.
- Twitter says users can submit an application to request verification in-app, right from account settings.
- Going by Twitter Verified account's numbers, there are about 361,000 verified Twitter handles on the platform.
Twitter is finally making it possible for you to apply for that blue badge again, though the company has come up with revamped categories. The micro-blogging platform says that it will begin rolling out the new verification application process and reviewing public applications for verification over the next few weeks.
For those unaware, the blue tick is one of the ways to distinguish the authenticity of accounts on Twitter. Any account verified on Twitter has a blue tick mark just after the user's name. However, with the relaunch of Twitter verification, the company has also introduced new guidelines for verified accounts on the platform.
The company says those users who apply for a verified badge should have had no 12-hour or 7-day lockouts for violating Twitter rules in the past 12 months. The company has specifically listed the accounts that are not eligible to get the verified badge, and it includes parody, newsfeed, commentary and unofficial fan accounts, pets and fictional characters, accounts associated with the coordinated harmful activity/hateful content, and accounts that have violated our platform manipulation & spam policy.
Twitter verified badge: Who's eligible?
Twitter has categorised users who can apply for the blue tick should fall under one of the six categories: government, companies, brands and organisations, news organisations and journalists, entertainment, sports and gaming, and activists, organisers, and other influential individuals.
Additionally, the company clarifies that only being part of the above six categories won't get users the blue tick. Interested users to qualify for a blue badge, their account must be authentic, notable, and active.
Some of the very basic needs include an account to have complete with info and is an active account within the last six months. Twitter says those who apply for the blue tick should have an account with a profile name and image, users must have logged into it in the last six months, and the account has a confirmed email address or phone number.
Notably, Twitter also adds that verified accounts that repeatedly violate the Twitter Rules are subject to having the blue tick removed.
For Twitter users, those who are planning to apply for the verified badge can apply for it once every 30 days, which means if the application was rejected, you could re-apply 30 days after rejection.
Talking about when you can hear back about your verification application? Twitter says that it may take up to a few weeks to review and process the application.
"Each eligible application is reviewed by a human to ensure we are thoughtfully and thoroughly reviewing all of your application materials. If our queue grows to a point where we aren't able to honour this review time, we may pause accepting any new applications until we have gotten through our backlog," Twitter clarifies.
How can you apply to get verified on Twitter?
Twitter says everyone will start seeing the new verification application directly in the Account Settings tab over the next few weeks. The feature is being rolled out gradually, which means it may take some time to show up in your Settings.
To apply for verification, Twitter will enable the application process through Account Settings on both the Twitter mobile app and the web version.
Click on the [...] icon, then go to Settings and privacy option, go to Account and scroll down to Account information and tap Verification Request.
Users can tap on start request and then submit their request.
About submitting an ID to be verified on Twitter, the platform says users will need to submit a government-issued ID, one way to identify.
Additionally, users can also link to an official website with direct reference to their Twitter account or an official email address. Like for journalists, they can submit the author profile link to Twitter so that they can verify that the account applying for the verified badge belongs to a known entity.
Bloomberg cites Twitter's B Byrne, a product manager focused on the verification process, that there are about 3,60,000 verified Twitter accounts. One of the ways to verify that is by checking the follower count of the Twitter Verified account, which follows all the accounts that have now been verified and currently it stands at 361,000.
Twitter's verification process is kicking off after a gap of almost four years. The micro-blogging platform suspended the verification process in November 2017. The verification programme originally started in 2009, but then it had only one purpose to save eminent people from the risk of impersonation. However, the company has expanded and is no longer just focused on celebrities or eminent personalities with time.
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