Venkaiah Naidu’s office said Twitter is “restoring” the verified status after objections (File)

New Delhi:

Twitter on Saturday removed the blue tick or “verified” badge from the personal handle of Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu.

The blue tick was removed from @MVenkaiahNaidu for “inactivity”, said a report by news agency ANI. “The personal account of Venkaiah Naidu was inactive for six months and the blue badge has gone,” ANI quoted an official from the Vice President’s office as saying.

The official handle of the Vice President of India @VPSecretariat continues to have the blue badge.

Mr Naidu’s office said Twitter is “restoring” the verified status after objections were raised.

The last tweet from the account was on July 23, 2020.

The blue tick or “verified” mark signifies that an account is “authentic, notable and active”, according to Twitter.

The microblogging site says the account must represent or be associated with a prominently recognized individual or brand. Accounts that are verified include those of key government officials and offices, including heads of state, elected officials, appointed ministers, institutional entities, ambassadors, and official spokespeople.

“To qualify, there must be a public reference to the account on an official government or party site or publication, or multiple references in news media,” says Twitter.

According to the site’s terms, the blue tick or verified status may be removed any time, without notice.

“You may lose your badge if you change your account name (@handle), if your account becomes inactive or incomplete, or if you are no longer in the position you initially were verified for – such as an elected government official who leaves office – and you do not otherwise meet our criteria for verification,” says Twitter.