Twitter says it will relaunch account verifications in early 2021 for six categories, including news, companies, and government officials, and asks for feedback

Twitter announced today it's planning to relaunch its verification system in 2021, and will now begin the process …

TechCrunch 2020-11-25 Sarah Perez

Context & Ripple Effects

Twitter's verification program has been in limbo since the company paused verifications in November 2017 — followed by a quiet restart months later with no clear criteria. In June 2020 it committed to a revamped system with publicly documented guidelines and an in-app request option, and this announcement is the first concrete shape of that promise: six categories, early 2021, and an explicit ask for user feedback before rules are finalized.

First-order effects

Accounts in the six named categories — news, companies, government officials among them — get a defined path to apply for verification rather than waiting for Twitter's discretionary picks.
Public feedback on the draft categories gives users direct influence over the final policy before it locks in.

Second-order effects

Feedback pressure visibly widens the net: by the time the program actually relaunches in May, the categories have expanded to include activists and journalists beyond the original six.
Verification stops being a standalone badge — Twitter pairs it with profile labels distinguishing bots and memorialized accounts, turning profiles into layered identity signals.

Third-order effects

If documented criteria and in-app applications hold, verification shifts from an opaque status symbol Twitter bestows into auditable platform infrastructure — a standard other networks face pressure to match as identity becomes central to trust online.

The trend: Social platforms are converting ad-hoc account verification into publicly documented, application-driven identity systems.

Discussion

Twitter Twitter on x
Help us shape our new approach to verification
help.twitter.com help.twitter.com on x
About verified accounts — Important: Please note that our verified account program is currently on hold.
@twittersupport @twittersupport on x
We're planning to relaunch verification in 2021, but first we want to hear from you. Help us shape our approach to verification on Twitter by letting us know what you think. Take a look at our draft policy and submit your #VerificationFeedback here: https://blog.twitter.com/...
@kayvz Kayvon Beykpour on x
We're planning to relaunch Twitter's verification policy and application process in early 2021. Our goal is to bring clarity to what verification on Twitter means, the criteria we'll use for assessing verification, and how to apply. https://twitter.com/...
@ericajoy Erica Joy on x
look at twitter, asking for feedback about a policy before implementing it! 👏🏾👏🏾 👏🏾 https://blog.twitter.com/...
@mep Mike Park on x
We've released a draft of our new verification policy, and are seeking feedback from the public. If interested, we'd love your help in two ways: 1. Review the draft policy: https://help.twitter.com/... 2. Complete a survey here: https://survey.twitterfeedback.com/ ...? 🙏
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
My feelings about verification are still: - It should have different flavors ("politician," “journalist,” “doctor") - It should be available to all - It is not nearly as complicated as Twitter thinks. Tinder launched verification months ago. Tinder! https://techcrunch.com/...
@trevorabranch Trevor Branch on x
Hey @Twitter: if you want to stand up for facts and reality, how about adding scientists and doctors as a category for verified accounts??? https://help.twitter.com/...
@jonworth Jon Worth on x
This is interesting, but it still does not really answer: what is verification *for*? I applied years ago - as a blogger, so falling into “Activists, organizers, and other influential individuals” but I'd not be top .1% follower numbers in 🇩🇪 #VerificationFeedback https://twitter…
@thetierzoo TierZoo on x
YouTubers, Twitch Streamers, and other content creators are some of the most frequently impersonated twitter users, and for some reason they're also rarely verified. Please, take this survey and tell twitter that digital content creators need the badge. https://blog.twitter.com/.…
@ahmed Ahmed Al Omran on x
Twitter to relaunch its verification process early next year along with brand-new guidelines https://www.theverge.com/...
@karynspencer Karyn Spencer on x
✨ for everyone STILL DMing me asking me to help verify them like i didn't leave twitter in 2017 ⬇️ https://twitter.com/...
@iancoldwater Ian Coldwater on x
It's interesting that tech isn't a category of accounts considered notable at all 🤔 And with a Wikipedia article as a criteria for “other” notability? That's one way to avoid verifying female engineers I guess https://twitter.com/...
@ekp Ellen K. Pao on x
I like the fact that Twitter is taking the time to get feedback and going back to fix mistakes. It shows openness to change and improvement https://techcrunch.com/...
@toadsanime Ryan Brown on x
Twitter is bringing back account verifications for brands, activists, and journalists in early 2021: https://techcrunch.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
The policy claims that if you've violated Twitter's policies then you lose blue check status. Does this mean the NY Post or various US politicians will lose that status going forward after they're restricted for sharing misinformation or hate speech? Seems extremely unlikely.
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
Twitter relaunches verification but hasn't fixed the issue which caused them to pause it in the 1st place. It conflates 1. Notability 2. Authentication Is giving a known racist a blue check an endorsement or proving it's their real account? Not answered. https://blog.twitter.com/…
@hypervisible @hypervisible on x
It says they are gonna rescind some of the blue checks that have been issued, so....it's been fun. 🤣 https://blog.twitter.com/...
@calbucci Marcelo Calbucci on x
My suggestion: 1) Verify everyone and every company who wants to be verified 2) Detach “verification” from the meaning of “status” 3) If a user changes their name, username, or profile, they have to re-verify. 4) To verify, must use Gov ID (or biz license) & verify phone # https:…
@jt_teran JT Tern on x
Give us multiple levels of verification: famous people and celebrities and us regular folks who are actually who we say we are. https://twitter.com/...
@twittercomms @twittercomms on x
We're relaunching verification in 2021. But first, we must clarify what verification is and who can be verified. Today, we're asking for feedback on a draft of our new policy. Help shape our approach by letting us know what you think. #VerificationFeedback https://twitter.com/...
@dianelyssa @dianelyssa on x
i hope y'all stop verifying candidates for office, until they win. there are so many people who run long-shot campaigns and then use this app and their blue check to sow chaos and build their profile. the “candidate for” label is good enough. https://twitter.com/...
@sarah_micheleg Sarah on x
i better be able to get a fucking blue check out of this. i may not be an organizer but i am a damn elections staffer. i've already had an account impersonate me once to try to commit identity theft https://twitter.com/...
@nicholasdeorio @nicholasdeorio on x
Twitter updates verification protocol with no path to verification for new media/social media influencers. This is a major slap in the face to a lot of active users who are prone to heavy impersonation and false flagging. https://help.twitter.com/...
@johnswanyt John Swan on x
Twitter is currently opening this up for public comment before they implement the policy. Thankfully, there IS an option for influencers in the survey. More info on how you can help below. Please RT to spread awareness. https://twitter.com/...
@heyitsfranklin2 MJ Franklin on x
.@TwitterSupport please verify @marcjfranklin so that people stop thinking we're the same person, which happens ALL THE TIME. (Also because he is good at this website, is a very good photographer and should be verified.) https://twitter.com/...
@amylutz4 Amy Lutz on x
Buried lede here is that Twitter intends on revoking certain blue check marks in 2021. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@fintanytwalsh Fintan Walsh on x
Unverify Trump just to poke the bear one more time https://twitter.com/...
@yashar Yashar Ali on x
As Twitter relaunches its verification process it also says that it'll be removing verification badges from accounts which repeatedly violate the rules. https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn Kerry Flynn on x
Remember THREE YEARS AGO when Twitter paused its verification program? Well, they're really working on it now and want all of our help on how to make verification better. I'll start: All dogs should be verified https://www.theverge.com/...

Chronicles