The Washington Post
Congratulations, we’re all one step closer to celebrity — Twitter announced this week that anyone can now apply to become a verified user on Twitter.
Verified accounts, for those who don’t know, are marked with a blue checkmark that means that you are the person you say you are — and, to some degree, that you are an important person. Qualifying accounts typically include “accounts maintained by public figures and organizations in music, TV, film, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business and other key interest areas,” the company said.
Verifying an account doesn’t just feed the ego. It’s needed to make sure users know what they’re reading comes from a credible source. Twitter has been verifying accounts since 2009 and it’s telling that the first verified account, after all, was CDCgov.
It’s also become a de facto tool against harassment on the site to some degree. Verified users are able to filter out tweets from those who aren’t verified. That’s a small step that some users can take to blot out noise from those who make throwaway accounts to send them harassing messages.
That said, many still think Twitter has not gone far enough to combat harassment on the site – verified users could still be harassers, for one. Also, providing these tools to a subset of users rather than everyone doesn’t help most users. Prominent people may get another tool for blocking abuse, but most people aren’t prominent.
Even with open applications, Twitter still has the final say on whether your account is worth verifying; users denied the privilege will be eligible to apply 30 days after their rejection.
Twitter said on a company help page that users will be able to submit applications to be verified under stage names. Companies will also be able to submit these applications.
It’s also worth noting that becoming a verified user requires you to give more information to Twitter than you would for a normal account. According to Twitter’s help center, a verified account applicant must have:
A verified phone number
A confirmed email address
A bio
A profile photo
A birthday (for accounts that are not company, brand, or organization accounts)
A website
Tweets set as public in Tweet privacy settings
You may also be asked for a copy of a government-issued ID, to further confirm you are who you say you are. In other words, if you were planning on keeping anything about your identity hidden from Twitter, this is not a move you should make.
But if you’ve ever really wanted Twitter to validate your identity, this is your moment.
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