Twitter resumes letting users apply for blue check marks after years-long freeze

Twitter users can once again apply to be verified after a years-long freeze on public submissions for the site’s blue check marks, though the company said only “notable” users would be awarded the badge.

The social media company paused public submissions for these badges in 2017 amid criticism that its verification program was arbitrary and confusing. It said at the time the check mark was being confused with “an endorsement or an indicator of importance.” Under the new rules, accounts must have been active in the last six months and fit one of several criteria: government, companies, brands and organizations, news outlets and journalists, entertainment, sports and gaming, activists, organizers and other influential individuals.