For years, some Twitter users have complained, whinged and even begged for the social network to verify their accounts.
Until now, verified accounts, that show an account is official and belongs to an individual, have only been handed out to celebrities, sports stars, journalists, and those the company deems worthy of having their identity confirmed. The accounts are shown by a white tick on a blue background.
Jack Dorsey's firm is now giving everyone the chance to receive the highly sought after tick.
By filling in a form Twitter users - the number of which has stayed stagnant in recent months - can have their account assessed for verification.
Not every application will be successful, though. A blog post from Twitter says accounts of "public interest" are likely to be approved. This is an effort to make those using the site engage with and follow more accounts.
"Our goal with this update is to help more people find great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for creators and influencers – no matter where they are in the world – to easily connect with a broader audience," the post said.
The move may allow for Twitter users receiving harassment to filter what they see. One of the only differences of having a verified account is a specific activity column that shows only @ messages, favourites, and retweets from other accounts that have been awarded the blue tick status symbol. The social network has consistently had problems with users being abused on its platform.
Twitter previously allowed users to apply to be verified but removed the feature when they were overwhelmed with requests.
As with any online identity approval, the user has to supply a host of personal information to the company they're signing up with. Only Twitter accounts with enough details will have a chance of being approved.
The process starts with an online form.
It requires: a phone number being linked to the account, a confirmed email address, a fully filled out bio, profile photo and header photo, a birthday, a website, and to be unlocked with public tweets.
That's not all though, as the company also asks people to explain why the account should be verified – for individuals it says they should explain their "impact" in their field and a business should say what its "mission" is.
"We may request that you scan and upload a legible copy of your government-issued ID (such as a passport or driver’s license) to confirm your identity," the company's advice says.
It's also recommended that a person uses their real name and that photos used in the header and profile reflect that person, or business. A corporate account trying to be verified should be linked to an email address associated with the company.
Twitter hasn't said if there is a set number of accounts it is going to verify but it has said applications will be rejected where necessary.
For those who get rejected – it will notify users by email – it will be possible to try again 30 days after the denial.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
