Twitter is finally restarting its process to verify users, which adds the blue checkmark on your account. But unfortunately, not everyone will be eligible to apply.
The company is now rolling out the application process, which will appear in the Account Settings tab. Over the next few weeks, everyone will be able to see the option. However, Twitter is currently only handing out verified badges to users involved in the following fields:
- Government
- Companies, brands, and organizations
- News organizations and journalists
- Entertainment
- Sports and gaming
- Activists, organizers, and other influential individuals
To verify your identity, the company will ask for either an official email address tied to the category you applied for, an official website that references you and your Twitter account, or an official government ID, like a driver’s license or passport. (However, we wouldn’t recommend sharing any government ID information with a company, unless absolutely necessary. Doing so is a security risk in the event a data breach occurs.)
“Once you submit your application, you can expect an emailed response from us within a few days, but this could take up to a few weeks depending on how many open applications are in our queue,” Twitter added. “If your application is approved, you’ll see the blue badge automatically on your profile. If you think we made a mistake, reapply 30 days after receiving our decision on your application.”
Later in the year, Twitter plans on opening the process to scientists, academics, and religious leaders. But the company has already been making exceptions for certain people, such as medical experts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The other verification requirement includes no bad behavior over the last 12 months. If the company previously suspended your account for seven days or 12 hours for breaking the rules, then you’re ineligible to apply. The company has created a support document with more details on the verification policy.
Twitter created the blue checkmark to signify an account is real and not an imposter, which made the badge a bit of a status symbol. For years, Twitter's verification process was shrouded in mystery, but by 2016, it started allowing people to apply for their own blue checkmark.
But when Twitter issued a verified badge to the organizer of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in November 2017, the company faced outrage from users. In response, Twitter hit pause on the verification program. Since then, the company has been quietly distributing blue badges to certain accounts through backchannels, but the public verification process remained on hold until now.
On Thursday, Twitter said it was important to resume handing out the checkmarks to help stamp out misinformation. “The blue badge is one of the ways we help people distinguish the authenticity of accounts that are of high public interest,” the company wrote in the announcement. “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.”
The company also plans on removing verified badges for users who repeatedly break the rules.