WebProNews

Twitter users who are tired of falling victim to hoaxes may soon receive some help.  Perhaps in response to recent problems involving Kanye West, Phil Spector, and Tony La Russa, cofounder Biz Stone announced a Verified Accounts program that should cut down on incidents of impersonation.

"We'll be experimenting with a beta preview of what we're calling Verified Accounts this summer," Stone wrote on the Twitter Blog this weekend.  "The experiment will begin with public officials, public agencies, famous artists, athletes, and other well known individuals . . ."

 

The exact process is pretty unclear after that; how Twitter intends to make sure accounts are controlled by the proper people and agencies isn't explained.  But authenticated accounts will be decorated with the little seal you can see in the above picture.

Stone expressed an interest in expanding the experiment to cover business accounts, too, and reminded readers that, at this point, the absence of a Verified Accounts logo doesn't mean something's counterfeit.

On a side note, Stone also denied reports that Twitter's settled a lawsuit brought against the company by Tony La Russa.  In fact, he called the suit "an unnecessary waste of judicial resources bordering on frivolous."