Twitter reopens account verification process

Micro-blogging site Twitter has restarted its account verification process, the company announced.

Twitter said users who are looking to be verified should keep checking their account settings screen for access to the in-app application, reports TechCrunch.

Since launching the revamped verification programme, Twitter had hit a few snags which forced it to shut down verifications more than once.

The most recent of these pauses were announced on August 13, when the company said it needed to make improvements to both the application and review process.

The micro-blogging site has struggled with account verifications for years, the report said.

Everyone wants the coveted blue badge that was previously doled out to public figures and other accounts of high public interest who have confirmed they are who they say they are -- like a government official, journalist, celebs, brand or business, or another notable name.

While the original system was meant to communicate only account authenticity, many viewed Twitter verification badge holders as having some sort of elevated status.

This issue came to a head-on when it was discovered in 2017, Twitter had verified the account belonging to Jason Keller, the person who organised the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Shortly thereafter, Twitter officially paused verifications, but continued to quietly verify certain individuals including candidates running for public office, elected public officials, journalists, and others.

Finally, the company rebooted the system in May 2021, saying it had been rebuilt and would now have a dedicated team.

It also issued new rules that more explicitly spelled out who could request verification and who could not, the report said.

Demand for verification was so huge that Twitter had to temporarily pause verification only eight days after it launched so the team could catch up with the number of requests, it added.

After it restarted, Twitter again put the system on pause in August, explaining it needed more time to get things right.