What does it mean?

With this feature, you can easily see which accounts we know are 'real' and authentic. That means we've been in contact with the person or entity the account is representing and verified that it is approved. (This does not mean we have verified who, exactly, is writing the tweets.)

This also does not mean that accounts without the 'Verified Account' badge are fake. The vast majority of accounts on the system are not impersonators, and we don't have the ability to check 100% of them. For now, we've only verified a handful of accounts to help with cases of mistaken identity or impersonation.

One thing you can do if we haven't verified an account you're wondering about is to check the official web site of the person and see if there's a link back to their Twitter profile. (Again, lack of a link does not imply impersonation, either.)

Who has a 'Verified Account' badge?

We're starting with well-known accounts that have had problems with impersonation or identity confusion. (For example, well-known artists, athletes, actors, public officials, and public agencies). We may verify more accounts in the future, but because of the cost and time required, we're only testing this feature with a small set of folks for the time being. As the test progresses we may be able to expand this test to more accounts over the next several months.

I deal with impersonation problems; will I be able to verify my account?

Although we're not verifying all accounts, we'll try to work with you if your account is constantly competing with parody or impersonation accounts. Fill out this feedback form so that we know your situation. One thing you can do right away is to provide a link to your official website containing the Twitter badge or logo linking back to your profile.

What about businesses?

We are currently testing verification with some businesses and working hard at making this feature available to all businesses. While we are not accepting new business verification requests, if you have already submitted one, we have you on our list.