[dropcap]T[/dropcap]witter has announced that it has updated its authentication process for verifying its accounts and awarding blue check mark, in a series of tweets.
In these tweets Twitter acknowledged that its verification comes across as endorsement, and that the social network’s treatment of verification has led to this, and now they will be changing the way verification of accounts takes place.
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
On Wednesday, Twitter admitted in a thread on its support account that “verification has long been perceived as an endorsement,” and its critics have argued long way back about the program since 2009, to prevent impersonation accounts. Twitter said yesterday that it has stopped accepting public submissions as it reviews the program and “remove(s) verification from accounts whose behavior does not fall within these new guidelines.”
Twitter has now removed verification for “behaviours on and off Twitter” including promoting hate and violence; threatening people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability or disease; supporting hate groups; harassing others and violent behavior. Accounts can still tweet after losing verification.
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Some of Twitter users who lost their checkmarks are not happy about it. After Twitter revoked checkmark of Richard Spencer, who is banned from visiting UK because of his white supremacist views, tweeted “Is it not okay to be proudly White?”
Verified no more! Is it not okay to be proudly White? ??♂️
— Richard ? Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) November 15, 2017
The buzz started when one of the white supremacist leader Jason Keller got verified, the main organizer of Unite the Right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to violence and deaths of counter-protestor Heather Heyer and two state troopers who were killed in a helicopter crash while assisting with security.
In a tweet Keller said that “Twitter has changed their verification policy just to be able to censor me. Several other accounts were unverified including Richard Spencer and James Allsup while Baked Alaska was permanently suspended altogether.”
Twitter has changed their verification policy just to be able to censor me. Several other accounts were unverified including Richard Spencer and James Allsup while Baked Alaska was permanently suspended altogether. pic.twitter.com/PO1QnJC2C6
— Jason Kessler (@TheMadDimension) November 15, 2017