Twitter’s verification program undergoes revamp

Twitter said it will begin unverifying accounts that don’t meet with the new guidelines.

Twitter’s froze the blue tick scheme recently after realising that it was being used as a sign of endorsement or agreement which the company says, is not its objective. It has often been unclear what, exactly, verifying an account meant for Twitter. Though Twitter claimed earlier that it doesn’t endorse any accounts but still blue badges are seen as a sign of endorsement.

“We’re working on a new authentication and verification program”, the Support account tweeted.

In a separate announcement, the company has also released its approach on how it enforces new rules, and how it reviews the content to enforce its range of actions.

Twitter has stated that they will remove verification badges (Blue Tick mark) from Twitter users who violate its rules.

The move, the social network said, was part of an policy update to delegitimise a slew of individuals whose behaviour failed to fall within a set of updated guidelines for the platform. Others who said they lost their verified status included the white nationalist Richard Spencer, far-right activists Laura Loomer and James Allsup, and Tommy Robinson, the host of a show on the fringe conservative site the Rebel TV.

The social media company paused its verification program last week in response to criticism over the verification of Jason Kessler, the man who organized the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville.

Intentionally misleading people on Twitter by changing one’s display name or bio. And the fact that the company appears to be systematically enforcing its new safety policies is also a giant step in the right direction.

Former EDL leader Tommy Robinson has been stripped of his blue tick on Twitter. This means that people who promote hatred and violence, share disturbing imagery or incite harassment will lose their blue ticks permanently.

For years, Twitter verified accounts belonging to a person of “public interest” such as celebrities, journalists and politicians.

He also pointed to a Twitter account associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group which ruled in Egypt in 2012 and 2013, but is not considered a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom government.