Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Dec 10, 2025

Twitter Rolls Out New Verification Process for First Time in Nearly Four Years

Twitter Rolls Out New Verification Process for First Time in Nearly Four Years

Social media giant Twitter previously halted its verification process in November 2017 after receiving widespread backlash over its decision to verify Jason Kessler, one of the organizers behind the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that claimed the life of 32-year-old Heather Heyer.

Twitter revealed on Thursday that the company is relaunching its public verification program for the first time in nearly four years, and will now allow for any users to apply for the highly-coveted blue check mark.

The newly-launched process will require users to have an account that includes a picture and a confirmed email address or phone number, as well as mandating that the specified account be active for the last six months without having violated any company policies.

A Thursday blog post by Twitter explains that users will be able to submit an application by simply going to their account’s setting tab and following the prompts.


The company did indicate that the option will not be available to all users immediately since officials are rolling out the new process over the next several weeks. “If you don’t see this update immediately today, don’t worry! We're gradually rolling it out to everyone to ensure that we can review applications in a timely manner,” the post explains.

However, in order to qualify for the application, interested users will have to fall into one of six categories: government; entertainment; sports and gaming; news organizations and journalists; companies, brands and organizations; and activists, organizers and other influential individuals.

It’s worth noting that Twitter does intend to add additional categories, including scientists, academics and religious leaders, later this year.

Time-wise, the approval could take a “few weeks” depending on the amount of applications that are received at any given time. Twitter clarified during a briefing with reporters that the submissions will be reviewed by actual humans, not through an algorithm.

Should applications be approved, a blue checkmark will appear automatically. If not, users will be allowed to file a new application after a 30-day period.

Twitter initially launched its verification program in 2009 in order to verify the identities of well-known individuals who were at risk of being impersonated, with the tech giant opening the process to the public in 2016.

The verification effort, however, hit a snag and was sent on a hiatus after the company verified Kessler. Twitter also responded to the outrage by removing the blue checkmark from Kessler’s profile, as well as the verification issued to various other white nationalists and far-right individuals.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK Officials Push Back at Trump Saying European Leaders ‘Talk Too Much’ About Ukraine
UK Warns of Escalating Cyber Assault Linked to Putin’s State-Backed Operations
UK Consumer Spending Falters in November as Households Hold Back Ahead of Budget
UK Orders Fresh Review of Prince Harry’s Security Status After Formal Request
U.S. Authorises Nvidia to Sell H200 AI Chips to China Under Security Controls
Trump in Direct Assault: European Leaders Are Weak, Immigration a Disaster. Russia Is Strong and Big — and Will Win
"App recommendation" or disguised advertisement? ChatGPT Premium users are furious
"The Great Filtering": Australia Blocks Hundreds of Thousands of Minors From Social Networks
Mark Zuckerberg Pulls Back From Metaverse After $70 Billion Loss as Meta Shifts Priorities to AI
Nvidia CEO Says U.S. Data-Center Builds Take Years while China ‘Builds a Hospital in a Weekend’
Indian Airports in Turmoil as IndiGo Cancels Over a Thousand Flights, Stranding Thousands
Hollywood Industry on Edge as Netflix Secures Near-$60 Bln Loan for Warner Bros Takeover
Drugs and Assassinations: The Connection Between the Italian Mafia and Football Ultras
Hollywood megadeal: Netflix acquires Warner Bros. Discovery for 83 billion dollars
The Disregard for a Europe ‘in Danger of Erasure,’ the Shift Toward Russia: Trump’s Strategic Policy Document
Two and a Half Weeks After the Major Outage: A Cloudflare Malfunction Brings Down Multiple Sites
UK data-regulator demands urgent clarity on racial bias in police facial-recognition systems
Labour Uses Biscuits to Explain UK Debt — MPs Lean Into Social Media to Reach New Audiences
German President Lays Wreath at Coventry as UK-Germany Reaffirm Unity Against Russia’s Threat
UK Inquiry Finds Putin ‘Morally Responsible’ for 2018 Novichok Death — London Imposes Broad Sanctions on GRU
India backs down on plan to mandate government “Sanchar Saathi” app on all smartphones
King Charles Welcomes German President Steinmeier to UK in First State Visit by Berlin in 27 Years
UK Plans Major Cutback to Jury Trials as Crown Court Backlog Nears 80,000
UK Government to Significantly Limit Jury Trials in England and Wales
U.S. and U.K. Seal Drug-Pricing Deal: Britain Agrees to Pay More, U.S. Lifts Tariffs
UK Postpones Decision Yet Again on China’s Proposed Mega-Embassy in London
Head of UK Budget Watchdog Resigns After Premature Leak of Reeves’ Budget Report
Car-sharing giant Zipcar to exit UK market by end of 2025
Reports of Widespread Drone Deployment Raise Privacy and Security Questions in the UK
UK Signals Security Concerns Over China While Pursuing Stronger Trade Links
Google warns of AI “irrationality” just as Gemini 3 launch rattles markets
Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model
Macron Says Washington Pressuring EU to Delay Enforcement of Digital-Regulation Probes Against Meta, TikTok and X
UK’s DragonFire Laser Downs High-Speed Drones as £316m Deal Speeds Naval Deployment
UK Chancellor Rejects Claims She Misled Public on Fiscal Outlook Ahead of Budget
Starmer Defends Autumn Budget as Finance Chief Faces Accusations of Misleading Public Finances
EU Firms Struggle with 3,000-Hour Paperwork Load — While Automakers Fear De Facto 2030 Petrol Car Ban
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
×