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Journalism of Courage
Microblogging site Twitter has reopened its verification application program for the public after a three-year hiatus to let people make submissions for their profiles to sport the coveted “blue tick”. Alongside reopening applications, Twitter has also announced a change in the guidelines that dictate how profiles will get verified and a basic set of rules for how verified profiles should conduct themselves.
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Twitter allows certain categories of users to be verified on the portal. According to Twitter, the blue badge is one of the ways people can 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”.
Over the next few weeks, everyone on Twitter will start to see the new verification application directly in the Account Settings tab. Once an application is submitted, the user can expect an emailed response from Twitter within a few days, but this could take up to a few weeks depending on how many open applications there are in the queue. If the application is approved, the user will see the blue tick automatically on their profile. In case a request for verification is rejected, a user may reapply 30 days after receiving the decision from Twitter.
Along with the application launch, Twitter is also introducing new guidelines for verified accounts. To qualify for verification, Twitter accounts must belong to one of the six categories — Government; Companies/brands/organisations; news organisations and journalists; entertainment; sports and gaming; and activists/organisers/other influential individuals. However, Twitter said that it is planning to introduce more categories later this year, such as those for scientists, academics, and religious leaders. The social media platform said that users must also provide a profile name, a profile image, and either a confirmed email address or phone number. The account must also be active within the last six months and have a record of adherence to the Twitter Rules.
Three years ago, Twitter had paused the program to review its policies on the basis of which verification status was granted to a user. Over time, Twitter had been seeking user feedback to amend its verification policy. Notably, earlier this year, the Centre had introduced guidelines to contain the misuse of social media platforms. Among various measures, the social media rules issued by the IT ministry called for platforms to look at offering a voluntary user verification mechanism to those who wish to verify their accounts. Such users will be provided an appropriate mechanism to verify their accounts and provided with a demonstrable and visible mark of verification, the rules had said.
