[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ollowing the uproar, that began Tuesday, after the company verified the account of Jason Kessler, an organizer of the August white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that left one protester dead and many others injured.
Heather Heyer, the protester who died protesting the white nationalist rally(he created) was called “fat, disgusting communist” and that her death was “payback time”.
Kessler received his blue check mark less than a month after Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey promised “more aggressive” enforcement against hate symbols and violent groups.
Looks like I FINALLY got verified by Twitter. I must be the only working class white advocate with that distinction. pic.twitter.com/IMXqtmhgvn
— Jason Kessler (@TheMadDimension) November 7, 2017
Prominent Twitter users implored Dorset to retract Jason’s blue tick, arguing that it conferred “authority and legitimacy” on a white supremacist and furthered fears that Twitter is a platform for spreading hate speech.
Oh look the nazi who organized the deadly demonstration in #Charlottesville got verified by Twitter. Thanks @jack–cause we all wanted #280 and more nazis pic.twitter.com/DyUQmeBufV
— Alex Leo (@AlexMLeo) November 8, 2017
“Verification was meant to authenticate identity and voice but it is interpreted as an endorsement or an indicator of importance.
“We recognise that we have created this confusion and need to resolve it. We have paused all general verifications while we work and will report back soon,” read a tweet from @TwitterSupport account.
Verification was meant to authenticate identity & voice but it is interpreted as an endorsement or an indicator of importance. We recognize that we have created this confusion and need to resolve it. We have paused all general verifications while we work and will report back soon
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 9, 2017
Twitter had earlier withheld blue check on the whistleblower Julian Assange.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Jack addressed the incident and tweeted from his account.
We should’ve communicated faster on this (yesterday): our agents have been following our verification policy correctly, but we realized some time ago the system is broken and needs to be reconsidered. And we failed by not doing anything about it. Working now to fix faster. https://t.co/wVbfYJntHj
— jack (@jack) November 9, 2017