Twitter Finally Plans to Revamp Its Inconsistent Verification System

According to a recent report, Twitter is developing a new system for requesting verification on the platform. The company has been inconsistent with both its policies to gain the “blue check” of verification as well as its policies to remove verification. In one instance this year, Twitter verified a fake candidate, providing the hoax account with a level of respectability.

A recent report from TechCrunch states that social media site Twitter is developing a new in-app system for requesting verification on the platform. This feature was discovered by reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong and has since been confirmed by Twitter. Wong’s research shows a “Request Verification” option in the redesigned Twitter account settings screen.

Wong has previously reverse engineered other apps such as Facebook and discovered a number of unannounced features which has garnered her a reputation for being reliable in relation to upcoming app features.

In 2017, Twitter stopped the process of allowing users to request verification after accusations of politicizing the process. Twitter stated at the time that: “Verification was meant to authenticate identity & voice but it is interpreted as an endorsement or an indicator of importance. We recognize that we have created this confusion and need to resolve it. We have paused all general verifications while we work and will report back soon.”

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey commented on the decision at the time stating that the system was “broken” and needed to be “reconsidered:”

Since then, Twitter has begun verifying a number of accounts, but users have been unable to directly apply for verification. Breitbart News reported in February of this year that Twitter recently verified an account supposedly belonging to a Republican from Rhode Island named “Andrew Walz” who called himself a “proven business leader” and a “passionate advocate for students.” Walz was allegedly running for Congress, with a tagline reading “Let’s make change in Washington together.” The account was verified earlier this month as part of Twitter’s efforts to verify the authenticity of many Senate, House and gubernatorial candidates running for office.

The biggest issue with verifying Walz’s account is that he does not exist. The account is run by a 17-year-old high school student from upstate New York who said he created the account as he was “bored” over the holidays and wanted to test Twitter’s election integrity efforts. CNN notes that the fact that a teenager was able to fool Twitter’s verification process so easily raises questions about the firm’s preparedness for handling the 2020 elections on its platform.

A Twitter spokesperson recently told a publication “Our worst-case scenario is that we verify someone who isn’t actually the candidate.” Twitter was criticized last year for saying that it would not verify candidates unless they won their primaries, but in December Twitter changed its policy to say that it would verify primary candidates to help improve information for voters on the platform.

Many have still accused Twitter’s verification system of being broken and biased, in March Breitbart News reported that Florida Republican candidate Anna Paulina Luna had not been verified. Breitbart News wrote:

But even as it verifies fake candidates, Twitter is struggling to keep its promise to proactively verify real ones. An investigation by The Hill has found that nearly 90 primary candidates have yet to be verified on Twitter.

One Republican congressional candidate, U.S. Air Force veteran Anna Paulina Luna, has still not been verified despite multiple requests sent to Twitter. The platform says it will verify any candidate that is listed on Ballotpedia, but it has not held up its end of the bargain in Luna’s case.

“I am now less than 6 months from my primary and after inquiry with both Ballotpedia and Twitter, they will still not verify my account,” Luna told Breitbart News.

“I am the ONLY candidate in my primary of 6 other people who has not been verified. I also have the largest media presence as well as following. Upon contacting Twitter and Ballotpedia they both blamed the other and told me it was ‘in the process.’”

“After time passed I inquired again and they did not respond. I have been approached by voters in my district asking the very same question. I would be happy to forward emails to show correspondence.”