• by Colin Kirkland , April 17, 2023

In an attempt to expand the focus of its updated verification system, Twitter is making its new “Verification for Organizations” program available to businesses around the world, according to a tweet by app researcher Nima Owji.

“#Twitter is making the Verified Organizations available globally,” Owji wrote. “You won’t have to wait to be accepted…it includes features like Premium Support, Impersonation Defense, and more…”

Based on the program’s original announcement in December, Twitter Verification for Organizations allows an organization to link any number of their affiliated individuals, businesses and brands to their account.

When they do, affiliated accounts get a small badge of their parent company’s profile picture next to their blue or gold checkmark.

Based on the updated feature list posted by Owji, organizations are now able to identify the personal accounts of employees, which will subscribe them automatically to Twitter Blue and give them a brand icon attached to their username.

Organizations’ affiliated accounts will be listed on the brand profile and will be removed when they no longer work for the organization -- their blue checkmark will also be stripped. 

To maintain verification legitimacy and provide enhanced assistance, Twitter says it will flag any impersonator accounts while offering priority support to verified organizations.

However, as Andrew Hutchinson from SocialMediaToday, points out, “there’s no actual verification included in the process.”

While Twitter says it will review business applications for authenticity, Hutchinson notes that “if you’re willing to pay, it’s likely that Twitter will take your cash, as there are no thresholds for qualification, nor is there a systematic process for confirmation or approval.”

The price of the feature is also high. Twitter has set a price of $50 a month per affiliated account on top of the already controversial monthly $1000 up-charge Musk forced on businesses to maintain verification via a gold tick on the platform, which has caused backlash from major publishers like The New York Times. 

“That’s not to mention businesses in developing markets, which also won’t be able to afford it,” Hutchinson writes. “Right now, in all the regions where Twitter Blue and Verified for Organizations is available, the price is the same, which could lead to various issues with impersonation, in many places.”

Musk’s original plan for Twitter Blue subscriptions to deliver 50% of its revenue has flopped, as the platform would need around 24 million people to join, while only 600 thousand are currently subscribed globally.