Sometimes they come back. The blue ticks that certify the authenticity of a profile start again on Twitter. Not that they had disappeared (who had kept it), but the new assignments had been discontinued 4 years ago, in November 2017, after 8 years of use (the first verified account dates back to 2009).
For various reasons, but above all because it seemed that that celestial stamp was almost an investiture of the social network with respect to the accounts to which it was assigned: it seemed an unclear and arbitrary evaluation of merit, while now the procedure, as explained, should be done in some way more democratic. Also because it was developed together with the members, starting from their comments and from the tens of thousands of opinions collected since last autumn, when the construction site was inaugurated.
He is recovering just today, Thursday 20 May, with the new verification request process and with the examination of applications, while Twitter has already begun to remove the ticks to the accounts that no longer met the updated criteria. In short, the goal is “to give more transparency, credibility and clarity to account verification”, as explained by the headquarters.
The new verification criteria
But what are the criteria to be met to obtain the blue check, a recognition dedicated to distinguishing the authenticity of accounts of high public interest? The basic idea is that the checks will go to those who deserve them, that is, to those who promote exemplary and respectful conversations, to those who “tweets others as he would like to be tweeted“. More specifically, the categories identified in this phase to obtain the check are 6:
- government officials;
- companies, brands and organizations;
- newspapers and journalists;
- entertainment characters;
- sport e gaming;
- activists and influencers.
But more will come in the future.
These must be full accounts with name, image, email address O confirmed phone number. But also of active profiles in the last 6 months and that they have always respected the conditions of use of the platform. In conclusion, no yellow card by San Francisco, i.e. no suspension for 12 hours or 7 days in the past year. There is therefore, as happens elsewhere to unlock some features and partly also on Twitter (for example to launch the Audio Spaces) a minimum number of followers to show off.
who the precise indications, where it is specified that a government document, an email with a relevant domain for the sector in which you are applying or an indication of an official website may also be requested.
How to request the blue badge
The verification path will be available in the next weeks in the section Settings. But the release will be gradual, just to ensure timely examination of all applications (in the past, this could take a long time). The path should be as follows: the verification team will send an email response within a few days or weeks of the request, depending on the queue of questions. If approved, the blue badge will automatically appear on the profile.
If, on the other hand, there is a refusal and the user thinks it is an error, the application can be submitted again once 30 days have elapsed after receiving the response on the previous application. This for as many times as you want.
New categories coming soon
It’s not over: the platform is working to expand the categories admitted to the coveted blue check. For example, they will come scientists, academics e religious leaders during the year. To find out more, you can follow the account @Verified. On Twitter, of course. Once you have obtained the badge, there is no fixed rule for eventual removal: each case will be evaluated individually.
More inclusiveness and new types of accounts: memorials and satire
News also for accounts, because other types will come: i bot, for example, they will be clearly indicated with the words “Automated account” and the icon of a robot, a wording that will also appear in the tweets. On the other hand, automated profiles are not always annoying: during the reserved event for the presentation of these innovations, the platform managers recalled that there are automated accounts useful for reporting dangers in the event of earthquakes or particular weather conditions.
For this reason, verifying automated accounts is just as important to the blue bird social network as verifying accounts managed by real people.
Projects are also underway to improve Twitter profiles to help people express themselves better, such as through the new About section, where, among other things, also i pronouns with which you want to refer to your person. In the definition phase, as announced several times, i memorial profiles, for deceased persons, and those specifically dedicated to satire, which has always been one of the most important engines of the platform.