Twitter opens the door to verifying user accounts

After about 4 years of stopping the user account verification service, the social networking site Twitter decided to open the door to verifying the accounts of more users so that the account would receive the distinctive blue authentication mark.

CNET.com, which specializes in technology issues, indicated that Twitter had stopped verifying accounts in 2017 due to the ambiguity surrounding the presence of the distinctive blue mark on the verified account page.

The decision came after Twitter was criticized for documenting the account of a white supremacist racist.

Later on, the blue tick was withdrawn from the account.

It is noteworthy that the number of verified accounts currently stands at about 360,000 accounts, equivalent to only about 0.2% of the total accounts on Twitter of more than 199 million active accounts per day.

Twitter announced its intention to open the door to receiving account verification requests within the next few weeks.

The company said that in order for the account to be verified, the user must prove that his account is "original, distinct and active."

For his part, B. Bernie, a production manager at Twitter whose work focuses on verifying identities, said in a recent press conference that he hopes Twitter users will stop sending messages directly to him to request verification of their accounts.

CNET.com stated that the presence of the distinctive blue tick on the Twitter account makes people realize that this account is not only reliable but also very important.

The first account documented on Twitter was the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009.

Twitter intends to document "original, premium and active" accounts, which include accounts of government officials, people who represent prominent brands, media organizations, journalists, activists, celebrities, sports champions, and others.

The site also intends to document other figures such as academics, scholars and clerics later this year.