Twitter Asks Users if it Should De-Verify Accounts that Violate ‘Twitter Rules’

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Twitter is asking users to provide feedback on the platform’s “verification” process, including whether it should remove verification from accounts that violate the company’s rules — a change that would likely affect President Donald Trump.

“Three years ago, we paused our public verification program after hearing feedback that it felt arbitrary and confusing to many people,” Twitter wrote in a post published Tuesday. “A year later, we deprioritized this work further to focus on protecting the integrity of the public conversation around critical moments like the 2020 U.S. election. Since then, we haven’t been clear about who can become verified and when, why an account might be unverified, or what it means to be verified.”

The company said it would roll out new guidelines by Dec. 17 related to the blue badge denoting “verified” users on its platform. The tentative guidelines indicated the badge would be available to users in media, sports, and government, in addition to prominent “activists” and “organizers.”

However, Twitter said, it is also asking users to submit a survey responding to a number of questions, including whether “someone with a blue verification badge” should lose it when they violate “the Twitter Rules.” The website in May began routinely censoring the president’s posts for alleged disinformation and for “encouraging” violence. That move came after critics spent several years calling on the website to take action against Trump.

Since the election, Democrats including Rep. David Cicilline (RI) and Gerry Connolly (VA) have called on Twitter to take even further action by suspending or banning Trump’s account, a scenario that could become even more plausible after Trump leaves office.

“The blue verified badge isn’t the only way we are planning to distinguish accounts on Twitter,” Twitter said in its blog post. “Heading into 2021, we’re committed to giving people more ways to identify themselves, such as new account types and labels. We’ll share more in the coming weeks. This is just the beginning of what we have planned for 2021.”