mu Trusted Verifier Program

This note introduces the Trusted Verifier Program on mu (mu.social) and outlines the guidelines for organizations designated as trusted verifiers.

With mu, Eurosky takes a democratic approach to verification. Our view is that the way social media verification has been undertaken by major platforms is less than ideal. When Twitter popularized account verification, its main criterion was 'notability' – whether the person or organization behind the account has a certain measure of perceived public profile or importance. It was always a very subjective criterion and was systematically inconsistent in its application. Bluesky's approach has been similar.

At Eurosky, we believe verification should serve a simple function: provide a trust signal to users that an account is who they claim to be. It's not about follower numbers, 'public profile' or other vanity metrics. We want social media where everyone can verify their account, and therefore show their account to be authentic.

We believe verification should never be paid for and should be primarily via social proof. What do we mean by social proof? In real life, trust is created through social connections and interactions. If someone you don't know shows up in a space and they claim to be x or y, you rely on social proof – the organization they work for, people that know them, etc. – to know they are who they claim to be.

Two layers

Our approach to verification is based on two layers:

• verification by organizations, professional groups and networks – media organizations, businesses, universities, political parties, and professional networks, among others, can become verifiers. This means they can verify the accounts of the members of their community. They can also verify other accounts they know to be authentic.
• verification through aggregated trust signals – organizations and networks cannot verify everyone. Many people are not affiliated with one and – even if there are dozens or hundreds of trusted verifiers – there is a limit to how much this model can scale. This is where the second layer comes in – multiple signals from a network based on activity, connections and trust could be sufficient evidence of an account's authenticity. We'll be honest here – this layer is harder and we don't yet have a solution for it, but we are committed to expanding the reach of verification.

In summary, verification on mu means that an account is authentic: they are who they claim to be.

What verification is based on

Verification is based on:

• The trusted verifier having sufficient information to know that an account is who they claim to be. This can be based on various things:
  • professional or personal knowledge of the account owner/operator
  • domain verification particularly in the case of organizations
  • cross-referencing other websites and profiles
  • long-term interaction with the account on the Atmosphere

What verification does NOT mean

• endorsement: verification does not mean endorsement by the verifier, mu or Eurosky. Verifiers are not responsible for what verified accounts do or say
• that what an account says is trustworthy: an account can be authentically who they claim to be AND say things that are inaccurate or untrue. Always exercise critical judgment on social media.

Verified accounts are subject to the same acceptable use policy and community guidelines on mu. If they breach them their content may be restricted, and in severe cases accounts may be suspended or even banned.

Special categories

For certain special categories such as health and science, additional criteria are required for verification on mu, where only scientifically/technically credible organizations and individuals will be verified.

Raising issues

If you encounter a problem with a verified account – for example they seem to have been compromised or to be otherwise inauthentic – you can contact the verifier(s) and Eurosky at verification@mu.social. The verification mark on mu shows who the verifiers are, providing an important layer of transparency.

Verification beyond mu

Our verification signals are recorded on an account's PDS, meaning that any other app can read them and show a verified status too.

We will not get this right from the start. We'll get some things right and some wrong. We're looking to evolve this process as we learn and welcome all constructive input.

Trusted verifiers on mu

We have started with a small group of trusted verifiers with whom we are consulting on the verification criteria and methodologies. We are regularly onboarding new trusted verifiers. All verifiers are volunteers and are undertaking this task to help improve the ecosystem for everyone. Please bear with them as they have limited capacity.

Some of our trusted verifiers: