Twitter is planning to launch a new account policy in 2021. This will include a fresh verification process, as well as a way to highlight bots and accounts of the deceased.
The social networking company said that there are plenty of useful bots and services on the platform. But it wants to make it clear that these profiles are not human-operated with a new “automated account” label.
In addition to that, Twitter will introduce a “memorialized” label that will be put on the profiles of those who have passed away. It’ll also build a separate process to apply for memorialization. Facebook has had this option for years, with its legacy contacts feature allowing those close to the deceased to handle the profile.
In 2017, after a controversy involving a supremacist account, Twitter paused its account verification program. Now, the company is finally bringing it back next year with new rules. Starting from January 20, you’ll be able to apply for verification from your settings. Twitter has removed the criteria of having a header picture and a bio to qualify for the process.
In June, Twitter said that it was forming rules of verification and this time it’ll be transparent about the categories of people who could get the blue tick. In the beginning, the firm will verify six categories of accounts:
Twitter said that from January 20, it’ll also start removing verification badges from profiles that are incomplete and inactive — people who haven’t logged into the account for six months; the company will also revoke verification from accounts that violate the company’s rules severely and repeatedly.
