Twitter announced today it has created an online application process for Twitter accounts to receive verified status. Verified accounts on Twitter allow people to identify key individuals and organizations on Twitter as authentic, and are denoted by a blue badge icon. An account may be verified if it is determined to be of public interest. Typically this includes accounts maintained by public figures and organizations in music, TV, film, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas.
“We want to make it even easier for people to find creators and influencers on Twitter so it makes sense for us to let people apply for verification,” said Tina Bhatnagar, Twitter’s vice president of User Services. “We hope opening up this application process results in more people finding great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for these creators and influencers to connect with a broader audience.”
Twitter was the first platform to introduce account verification, starting in 2009 and currently has close to 187,000 verified accounts. The @CDCgov was one of the first Twitter accounts to be verified in order to help citizens find authentic and accurate public health information straight from the source. Among the other first accounts to be verified include @NASAArmstrong, @KimKardashian, @Oprah, @MilwaukeePolice, @SF311, and @TonyHawk.
The application process will start rolling out today and be available globally this week. People can learn more about the application process in the Twitter Help Center.