Twitter has announced that, as of May 21, it will be rolling out its new verification application process, and reviewing public applications for verification on Twitter.
The latest milestone in Twitter’s plans to provide greater transparency, credibility and clarity to verification on Twitter, the announcement follows the development and launch of a new policy shaped by public feedback in Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese.
The policy is being rolled out across the platform with the automatic removal of the verified badge from accounts that no longer meet the updated criteria for verification, such as those that are inactive or incomplete.
According to the Californiabased company, when Twitter detects what appears to be a potentially harmful or offensive reply to someone else’s tweet, it will prompt users to consider revising their text instead of tweeting.
Users whose tweets are flagged in this way will see a pop-up message appear on their screen, which asks, “Want to review this before Tweeting?” There are three buttons to then choose from: one to tweet the reply anyway, an Edit button and a delete button to discard the tweet entirely. There is also a small link to report if the system got things wrong.
Over the past several months, Twitter has been working to bring clarity to the verification eligibility criteria and launched a new policy shaped by public feedback.
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What it means to be verified on Twitter
The blue badge is one of the ways Twitter distinguishes the authenticity of accounts that are of high public interest. It gives people on Twitter more context about who they are having conversations with so they can determine if it’s trustworthy, which research has shown leads to healthier, more informed conversations. With today’s application launch, new guidelines will also be introduced for verified accounts on Twitter.
These verification guidelines are intended to encourage healthy conversations for the betterment of the Twitter community overall. They follow the philosophy to lead by example, Tweet others how they want to be Tweeted, and serve the public conversation authentically, respectfully, and with consideration. As always, all accounts, including verified accounts, must follow the Twitter Rules. Verified accounts that repeatedly violate the Twitter Rules are subject to have the blue badge removed.
Who is eligible?
To qualify for verification, a user must fit the criteria of one of the six categories- government, companies, brands and organizations, news organizations and journalists, entertainment, sports and gaming, activists, organizers, and other influential individuals.
In addition to the categoryspecific eligibility criteria outlined in the verification policy, accounts must be complete, meaning users must have a profile name, a profile image and either a confirmed email address or phone number. Accounts must also be active within the last six months and have a record of adherence to the Twitter Rules. You can read more about ineligible accounts in the policy as well.
How users can apply to get verified
According to Twitter, over the next few weeks, users of the social media platform will start to see the new verification application directly in their Account Settings tab. If they don’t see the update immediately, the company said users shouldn’t worry as it is a gradual rollout to ensure applications are reviewed on time.
What the application flow will look like
Once a user submits an application, Twitter said such a person should 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 are in our queue,” it said. If a user’s application is approved, he or she will see the blue badge automatically on their profile. “If you think Twitter made a mistake, reapply 30 days after receiving the decision on your application.”
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