Twitter has suspended its verification check marks icon after it authenticated the account for a man who organized August's white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended in violence and a death, CNN reported.
Twitter has established a way to verify accounts belonging to celebrities, journalists, government officials, companies and other noteworthy people with a small, blue badge with a white check mark, the network wrote.
The verification system, though, was flooded with criticism after Jason Kessler, who put together the "Unite the Right" protest in Charlottesville, posted that Twitter had verified his account, CNN said.
The Aug. 12 rally, which protested the removal of a statue of Confederate hero Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, turned violent and counter-protester Heather Heyer, 32, died when she was hit by a vehicle driven by an alleged white nationalist supporter, Newsweek noted.
Kessler's approval faced a backlash on social media.
Twitter announced that it plans to review the identification system where it does not come off as an endorsement, CNN stated.
"Verification was meant to authenticate identity and voice but it is interpreted as an endorsement or an indicator of importance," Twitter said, per CNN. "We recognize that we have created this confusion and need to resolve it."
The statement was backed up by Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey, calling the social media site's current system "broken."
CNN wrote that Dorsey had assured Twitter users last month that the company would use a heavier hand to root out "unwanted sexual advances, non-consensual nudity, hate symbols, violent groups, and tweets that glorifies violence."
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