Twitter does U-turn, stops blue tick verification feature

Twitter had restarted its much-coveted verification process, the only way you can get that elusive blue tick by your name on the platform, after a long hiatus. The microblogging platform rolled out a whole new process with detailed eligibility criteria for interested users to understand the requirements better and apply accordingly. But it’s just been a couple of months in and there have been plenty of complaints from users who claim that they fit the requirements and yet have not been verified. To deal with this, Twitter first said it was going to send out emails with its rejection notifications explaining why the application was rejected so as the user could reapply with all the necessary information in case they had missed out on anything the first time around.

But clearly, there seems to be more problems there that need to be addressed. Twitter has now announced that they are halting the verification process for a short while because they need to improve the application and review process. In a post, the platform asked users to hold on for a bit while they “get things right”. Twitter has not mentioned a timeline though for when the verification process is going to be resumed. For people who applied for verification before Twitter shared that post, the platform has said it is currently going through all the requests they have already received and trying to expedite the process.

“We’ve temporarily hit pause on rolling out access to apply for Verification so we can make improvements to the application and review process. For those who have been waiting, we know this may be disappointing. We want to get things right, and appreciate your patience,” Twitter wrote.

Replying to a user the platform also said that they are “working quickly to implement some improvements to the application and review process before giving more people the option to apply” and added people would be informed once the access is rolled out again.

For now, you’ll just have to wait till Twitter announces anything further. In the meanwhile though, if you want to look into the requirements for getting verified on the platform, here’s an explainer. The only people/organisations who fall under categories like - government, companies/brands/organisations, news organisations, journalists, entertainment, sports and gaming, activists/organisers/and other influential people can apply for verification. Additionally, the Twitter account that is seeking verification should have been active for the last six months and the account should not have been banned for 12 hours or 7 days in the last year.