Twitter Testing Government ID Verification for Blue Subscribers: Report

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Twitter is testing a new system for subscribers of its $10 CAD per month (or $105 CAD per year) Twitter Blue service to submit government ID and verify their identity on the platform, according to a report from TechCrunch.

The information comes from product intelligence firm Watchful.ai, which spotted the as-yet-unreleased feature in Twitter’s code last week. Watchful.ai told TechCrunch it believes Twitter is already testing the feature in the U.S., but it’s currently unclear if any users are actually seeing the feature.

ID Verification was listed as an Early Access feature for Twitter Blue subscribers, alongside other premium features like editing tweets, higher quality video uploads, and bookmark folders,  in the Android version of the Twitter app, per Watchful.ai. “Submit your ID to prove your authenticity,” reads Twitter’s description for the feature.

Image: Watchful.ai

ID Verification will require users to submit pictures of their government-issued ID, both front and back, along with a selfie to apply to have their Twitter account verified.

Image: Watchful.ai

Government ID verification comes after Twitter previously revised its account verification system following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company last year. At the time, the platform moved from offering verification to accounts belonging to notable people or entities to giving “Verified” checkmarks to anyone who paid for a Twitter Blue subscription.

Twitter Blue’s original launch got pretty messy as people started verifying their accounts and impersonating prominent individuals and companies. The company ultimately had to take down the feature and rework it.

Until now, account verification through Twitter Blue required subscribers to add a phone number to their account. However, the lack of photo ID verification still leaves some room for the system to be abused. Requiring users to submit their government ID and a selfie for verification should help fill in that gap.

According to Twitter, the new verification process will only take about three minutes. In addition, it looks like the verification process will be handled by a third party, with Twitter asking users for their consent to share their information and images.

Twitter Blue subscribers also get access to other paid features, including the ability to send longer tweets (up to 4,000 characters), SMS two-factor authentication, and more. The blue “Verified” checkmark, however, remains one of the subscription’s biggest draws.

Since Twitter unveiled Twitter Blue, several other platforms have followed in its footsteps and introduced paid verification services of their own. Last week, Instagram and Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms, launched the “Meta Verified” subscription on both platforms in the U.S.