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Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, questioned Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey today about how the platform utilizes user data and the ‘blue check mark’ verification process at an Energy and Commerce hearing.
 
In his response, Dorsey stated that Twitter does collect some information from other websites a user may visit to ‘personalize’ the Twitter experience. He stated that Twitter does not sell this information to advertisers.
 
Latta then asked, “How easy is it for someone to obtain a verified Twitter handle, and what steps does Twitter take to ensure it is not highlighting one political view point over another through use of verification on the platform?”
 
Dorsey said that Twitter has essentially halted the ‘blue check mark’ verification process because there were too many faults in the program. After further questioning from Latta, Dorsey also revealed what “off-platform” activities could result in losing a blue verified check mark. He stated that in this instance, connections with violent extremist groups is what they have focused on.
 
Video of Latta’s questions are available here.
 
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