Twitter bringing back verification, this time with clearer guidelines

By Maya Shwayder June 8, 2020

Twitter users might finally have an answer to a nagging question: “How many followers does it take to get verified?”

The answer, previously, was “who knows?” But now, according to social media secret finder Jane Wong and TechCrunch, Twitter will have a new “request verification” option that will specifically lay out what it takes to get verified.

Recommended Videos

Twitter is working on “Request Verification” 👀

(I’m not Twitter employee. I’m not tech support) pic.twitter.com/ED58QsD7kM

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) June 7, 2020

When contacted by Digital Trends, Twitter “declined to comment beyond” what was reported by Wong. It also declined to specify when this new system would be rolling out or what the guidelines would be.

Up until about three years ago, users were able to request verification, but the standards by which Twitter judged who was worthy of the coveted blue check mark and who wasn’t were rather opaque and seemed haphazard.

As TechCrunch reported, after a kerfuffle ensued in 2017 in response to neo-Nazi Jason Kessler being verified, Twitter removed the “request verification” tab and said it would rethink its system.

Twitter confirmed to TechCrunch that Wong’s finding was accurate but wouldn’t comment further on how or when the new guidelines would emerge.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

I'm a multimedia journalist currently based in New England. I previously worked for DW News/Deutsche Welle as an anchor and…

Social Media

What is Twitter Blue and is it worth it?

Twitter Blue menu option on a white screen background which is on a black background.

If you spend time on Twitter, you've probably heard the phrase "Twitter Blue" at some point and wondered what exactly it is. We're not talking about the signature shade of blue featured in its logo -- we're talking about the premium version of Twitter.

That's right. There's a paid tier for Twitter that many people don't even know exists that launched in July of 2021. And then relaunched again under Elon Musk's ownership in November 2022. Don't worry -- we'll explain everything below.
What is Twitter Blue?

Social Media

Elon Musk reveals date for Twitter Blue relaunch

Twitter will relaunch sign-ups for its Twitter Blue service on November 29, owner Elon Musk said on Tuesday.

Anyone signing up for the eight-dollar-a-month service will have a blue checkmark placed by their account name, ending the old system where the coveted check mark was only given to verified accounts of politicians, celebrities, high-profile media personnel, and other public figures.

Social Media

Twitter has reportedly suspended signups for Twitter Blue

Twitter Blue menu option on a white screen background which is on a black background.

The start of Elon Musk's tenure as owner of Twitter has not been without its struggles and chaos. And so far, the chaos Twitter currently finds itself in shows no signs of letting up anytime soon.

So it seems fitting that the latest news on the Twitter front is that signups for the microblogging platform's $8-per-month Twitter Blue subscription have reportedly been suspended. On Friday, Forbes reported that new signups for Twitter's newly revamped Blue subscription have apparently been disabled, having "verified that users have not been able to sign up to the service for more than an hour," and also citing that the option to sign up for Blue on the iOS app had disappeared as further proof of the suspension. The Verge also noted that some users may still see the option to subscribe, only to then be met with an error message. One of the editors at Digital Trends said the option to sign up for the service is just missing from his iOS app's menu, noted that it had been like that "since at least 8 p.m. PT last night," and shared the following screenshot: