Twitter Permanently Suspends Several Fake Accounts Verified By Mistake

Twitter Inc. has admitted on Tuesday to have permanently suspended a “small number of fake accounts" it mistakenly verified just weeks after restarting its public verification programme.

The mistake surfaced after data scientist onspirador Norteño discovered six verified accounts which had been created recently on June 16th. None of them had posted a single tweet, and two used what appeared to be stock photographs for profile pictures.

The company in May recently relaunched public verification applications after a year-long freeze with a revamped set of eligibility criteria based around the idea that an account should be “authentic, notable, and active” to be worthy of verification saying only "notable" users would be awarded the badge.

 “We mistakenly approved the verification applications of a small number of inauthentic (fake) accounts,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

“We have now permanently suspended the accounts in question, and removed their verified badge, under our platform manipulation and spam policy.”

The social media company had paused the verification program in 2017 amid criticism that it was arbitrary and confusing. It said at the time the checkmark was being confused with "an endorsement or an indicator of importance".