Twitter's revamped verification scheme will have two checkmarks, and one isn't for sale

The new plan for verification will be a two tier system. In addition to the blue checkmarks, the company will also use a separate label for "select" accounts.

It is the first time anyone at the company has confirmed that the label exists. The company didn't respond to a request for comment.

The official label will be reserved for government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures. It is not clear how the accounts will be designated or if they will have to go through another vetting process. Crawford said that not all accounts will get the official label.

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.

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

It seems that the plan is meant to address some of the criticism that has been leveled at Musk. Paying for verification could make it easier for people to spread misinformation. Crawford isn't the first person to address the issues Yoel Roth, the company's head of integrity, has said that the company plans to "ramp up proactive review of Blue verified accounts that show signs of being impersonated." After a number of accounts changed their names to make a point about Musk's plans, he said that he would ban all fake accounts.

For years, Verification on Twitter has been tricky because it’s a signal both of authenticity (you are who you say you are) and notability (you’re “important” by some standard).

Notability is inherently difficult to determine in a fair way globally. I support getting rid of it.