Twitter details plans to ‘revamp’ verification process

Twitter will be updating its process to verify accounts and relaunching its public application process after a three-year pause, the company said in a Tuesday blog post. 

Twitter released a draft of its new verification policy detailing criteria for accounts to receive the platform’s token blue check badge, as well as reasons accounts may lose their verification. 

Twitter said it plans to relaunch a new public application process early next year as part of the plans to build its verification policy. 

The company paused its public verification process in 2017, after public backlash over Twitter’s decision to verify the account of Jason Kessler, the organizer of the white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va. 

Since then, Twitter has been vague about which accounts become verified and when. 

“We know how important it is to be able to express yourself and understand who you’re talking to on Twitter. So today, we’re sharing the start of our plans to revamp how people can identify themselves on Twitter, starting with verification,” the company said. 

Based on the new draft policy, Twitter will verify “notable” accounts. The company broadly identified the six types of “notable” accounts as government officials, brands, news organizations, entertainment groups, sports teams and activists. 

Accounts must be active and complete to receive verification. Accounts must also not have had a lockout for violating Twitter’s rules in the past six months, excluding successful appeals, based on the draft policy.

Twitter said an account may lose its blue badge if it becomes inactive or is found to be in repeated violation of Twitter’s rules. 

An account may also be unverified if the individual is no longer in the position the account was initially verified for, such as an elected official leaving office, and the account does not meet other criteria for verification. 

Twitter released a public survey to receive feedback on its draft verification policy until Dec. 8. The platform plans to introduce the final policy on Dec. 17.