Twitter to launch new “Official” verification badge to represent genuinely verified accounts

Esther Crawford, a product manager at Twitter, has announced that the social network is working on a new secondary “Official” verification badge to represent genuinely verified accounts that represent high-profile Twitter users.

In a forthcoming update to the platform, Twitter will change the fundamentals of its existing verification system by selling the iconic blue verification checkmark that previously was given to select accounts that had been vetted and deemed as being genuine and authentic by Twitter, and instead giving any paying user who subscribes to Twitter Blue with the checkmark, without any type of ID check, meaning that the original blue badge will no longer be a way to tell if an account is authentic.

The move to sell blue badges has been heavily criticized by government officials, companies, brands, and influential individuals who see the decision by Twitter CEO Elon Musk to sell verification as irresponsible, putting many high-profile Twitter users now at risk of impersonation and the spread of misinformation.

Ahead of the launch of the social network’s new pay-to-play blue badge rollout, Twitter has now confirmed that a secondary verification badge is in testing, replacing the existing verification badge by showing only when an account is deemed authentic.

A lot of folks have asked about how you'll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the “Official" label to select accounts when we launch. pic.twitter.com/0p2Ae5nWpO

— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) November 8, 2022

“A lot of folks have asked about how you’ll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the “Official” label to select accounts when we launch,” said Esther on Tuesday.

“Not all previously verified accounts will get the “Official” label and the label is not available for purchase. Accounts that will receive it include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures.”

“The new Twitter Blue does not include ID verification – it’s an opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features. We’ll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types.”

It isn’t clear how Twitter will decide which accounts are suitable for the new secondary “Official” verification badge.