Twitter ‘blue tick’ verification policy relaunched after three-year hiatus: Everything you need to know

Twitter verification policy: Microblogging site Twitter has brought back its verification process that it had stopped in 2017. The process, which resumed on Friday, will allow Twitter to soon resume allocating blue badges to certain categories of accounts. Under this policy, beginning this year, users would be able to apply for the verification of their accounts through a self-serve portal. Here’s everything to know about the updated verification policy of Twitter.

Twitter blue ticks: Which accounts are eligible?

As per Twitter, for accounts to be eligible for being verified, their account must be active and notable. To clarify which accounts would be notable, Twitter has enlisted six categories:

1. Companies, non-profit organisations and brands
2. Government
3. Sports and esports
4. News organisations as well as journalists
5. Organisers, activists and other influential individuals
6. Entertainment

The microblogging site also said that while seeking suggestions on the policy, they received feedback asking addition of academics, religious leaders as well as scholars in this list. Twitter further said that dedicated categories for these types of accounts might be added at a later stage, and till then, account holders in any of these three categories can apply to get their accounts verified under the category of activists, organisers and other influential individuals.

Twitter verification policy: Revocation of verified status

Twitter said that those accounts which change their name would lose their verification badge. Apart from that, accounts of people who are no longer at the status on the basis of which they were verified would also lose their badges, for instance, ministers’ accounts after their tenure ends and they leave the office. Moreover, accounts which fail to continue to meet the verification criteria of Twitter would also lose their verified status.

The revocation of the verification status can be carried out by the microblogging site at any time and without any notice to the account holder, the company said. Verified accounts which are found to be in violation of Twitter’s rules would also lose their badge. However, the removal of verification status on the basis of violation of rules would not be automatic and would be done on the basis of each case.

How can users apply for verified Twitter accounts?

The self-service application portal for users to apply for the blue badge would be relaunched by the microblogging site this year, and applicants would have to select the category under which they would be verified, along with supporting material to prove their identity.

Appeal for verification after losing it once

The verified accounts that were at the risk of losing their status were notified in-app and over email by the company that they were at risk, along with being informed of the changes they needed to make to retain their verified status. These changes had to be made before Friday for these accounts to retain their badges.

Verified accounts of people no longer alive

The company said that it was not planning to automatically remove the badge of inactive accounts of people who were no longer alive, and instead was working on a policy to memorialise these accounts.