Verification Rules

A verified badge on Newsido means one thing and one thing only: we have checked that this account really is who it says it is. It is not a quality mark, not an endorsement, not a reward for posting a lot, and it does not mean we agree with anything the account says.

We keep it narrow on purpose. A badge that is handed out freely tells a reader nothing, and on a news site a badge that implies approval is actively misleading.

Who we verify

The test is whether readers could plausibly be misled by someone impersonating you — in other words, whether the identity matters. We verify:

• News organisations and journalists whose reporting is published under their own name.
• Public bodies — councils, police forces, NHS trusts, government departments and agencies.
• Elected representatives and candidates — MPs, councillors, mayors and people standing for those offices.
• Named businesses and organisations that are the subject of news coverage, speaking for themselves.
• People with a public profile in a field Newsido covers, where impersonation is a real risk.

Newsido's own channel accounts are marked as ours, and are not verified accounts in this sense.

What we need from you

Two things: proof that the person or organisation is real, and proof that the account is yours.

A complete account

• The name on the account is the name you are actually known by, or your organisation's proper name.
• A profile picture that is genuinely of you, or your organisation's own logo.
• A bio that says who you are.
• A working email address on the account.

Evidence of identity — any one of these

• An email sent to us from an address on your organisation's own domain.
• A link to your account from a website you demonstrably control — your organisation's site, your staff page, your official profile.
• A Companies House number, charity number or official register entry, for an organisation.
• Coverage of you by news organisations we already trust, or an entry in a public official register.
• Photographic ID, for an individual, where nothing above applies. We look at it, we record the decision, and we do not keep the document.

If you are applying on behalf of somebody else — an agency, a press office, a staff member — say so, and show that you are authorised.

How to apply

Open Settings › Verification in Newsido and follow the apply link there, or email [VERIFICATION EMAIL] with your username, who you are and your evidence. There is no charge, and nobody can sell you a badge. If somebody offers to, they are defrauding you.

We review applications by hand, so it takes as long as it takes. You will get a decision either way. If we say no we will say which part was missing, and you are welcome to come back when you have it.

What a badge gets you

• The badge next to your name, wherever your name appears.
• Readers can tell your account from an imitation of it.
• We act faster on impersonation reports about a verified identity.

It does not change how your posts are ranked, it does not buy reach, and it is not for sale — see above.

When we take a badge away

Verification describes an identity, so it follows that identity. We will remove a badge if:

• the account changes its name, its subject or its purpose so that the verified identity no longer describes it;
• the account is transferred, sold or shared with someone else;
• the evidence turns out to have been false or was obtained deceptively;
• the account is used to impersonate someone, or to run a scam;
• the account is suspended or closed for breaking our Terms of Service;
• a public body or organisation ceases to exist, or the person no longer holds the role the badge was granted for.

We will normally tell you first and explain why. Where there is a risk to readers — an impersonation or a scam — we remove it immediately and explain afterwards.

Reporting an impersonation

If an account is pretending to be you or your organisation, email [VERIFICATION EMAIL] with a link to it and something showing who you really are. We treat impersonation of a public body, a journalist or an elected representative as urgent.

Your data

We use what you send us only to make the verification decision and to keep a record that a decision was made. Identity documents are not retained. See our Privacy Policy, or ask [PRIVACY EMAIL].

These rules may change as Newsido grows. The version on this page is the one that applies.