

Ask HN : How do Twitter verified accounts work? - dan_sim

I was reading about Bill Gates joining Twitter (http://twitter.com/billgates) and wonder what's the process for having a verified account. How do they evaluate that someone is known enough to have a verified account? Is it twitter that communicates with the account holder or he has to make a request to twitter? How do they verify that it's the real person behind the account (probably with a special CNAME but maybe not?)
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DanielStraight
Presumably the same way anyone else verifies someone is who they say they are:
by looking at their ID.

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dan_sim
I can't imagine Bill Gates giving personal informations to a company just to
have a verified twitter account. Maybe you're right and if you are, I still
can't believe it...

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blasdel
No, he has a ~50 person company called "Watermark LLC" that manages his
family's personal life. When one of them signs up for something, it's done by
an assistant there that handles all contact.

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pasbesoin
I'm surprised that username "billgates" was available. Did some poor schmuck
or imposter get the boot? Or did MS or his own PR lock it up early on?

Edit: (Hmm, or did someone make a tidy sum?)

