No Verified Marks For You "White Nationalists" Said Twitter

Twitter removed the verification of Alt-right leader Richard Spencer and others as part of an update to its rules and guidelines. Twitter removed the blue "verification" check marks from a handful of prominent white nationalists.

The social media platform explained:

"UPDATE on our verification program and the actions we're taking."

"Verification has long been perceived as an endorsement. We gave verified accounts visual prominence on the service which deepened this perception. We should have addressed this earlier but did not prioritize the work as we should have."

"This perception became worse when we opened up verification for public submissions and verified people who we in no way endorse."

Richard Spencer, who advocates a separate white homeland, and Jason Kessler, the organizer of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, lost their badges.

Spencer complained on Twitter about the removal of his verification.

"Verified no more! Is it not okay to be proudly White?"

In a phone interview, Spencer said he was worried the move would lead to people like him being banned from Twitter.

"And it is a kind of depersoning of someone," he said, of being unverified.

Kessler also tweeted:

"Twitter has changed their verification policy just to be able to censor me. Several other accounts were unverified including Richard Spencer and James Allsup while Baked Alaska was permanently suspended altogether."

Being verified on Twitter is a big deal. The special badge is afforded to celebrities, athletes, politicians and other public figures, so that users can know their accounts are genuine.

Twitter's updated policy guidelines, which they shared in a tweet Nov. 15, include a list of reasons you can lose your verification status. The second rule on their list is likely why white nationalists are now un-verified: hate speech now breaks verification rules.

"Promoting hate and/or violence against, or directly attacking or threatening other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease. Supporting organizations or individuals that promote the above."

The Electronic Frontier Foundation criticized the decision by tech companies to revoke their services, saying the same tactic could be used to prevent other organizations, such as civil rights groups, from expressing themselves.