The micro-blogging site Twitter announced on Tuesday that it would resume its verification process early next year along with brand-new guidelines for users seeking out that small, blue badge.
In Twitter’s Tuesday blog post, the company confirmed that this new system would roll out in “early 2021.” Twitter is also asking for feedback on a draft proposal for verification.
If no changes to this proposal are made, the accounts that would be eligible for verification would include government accounts, companies, brands, nonprofits, news media accounts, entertainment, sports, activists, organizers, and what Twitter refers to as “other influential individuals.”
Each type of account must meet specific requirements, like being profiled in a media outlet, in order to receive verification. The entirety of Twitter’s draft policy can be viewed here. After receiving feedback, Twitter plans to release the final policy on December 17th.
Twitter also announced new draft rules explaining when a verification badge could be taken away. If a verified user changes their display name or bio to mislead people on their true identity, Twitter could pull their badge. Repeat terms of service violations could also lead to loss of verified status.
“But the blue verified badge isn’t the only way we are planning to distinguish accounts on Twitter. Heading into 2021, we’re committed to giving people more ways to identify themselves through their profiles, such as new account types and labels,” Twitter’s Tuesday blog post read. “We’ll share more in the coming weeks. This is just the beginning of what we have planned for 2021.”
Twitter is asking users to take a survey on its policy before December 8th. If you’d rather tweet your feedback, Twitter asks that you tag #VerificationFeedback in the tweets.
