  We investigate how users perceive social media account verification, how
those perceptions compare to platform practices, and what happens when a gap
emerges. We use recent changes in Twitter's verification process as a natural
experiment, where the meaning and types of verification indicators rapidly and
significantly shift. The project consists of two components: a user survey and
a measurement of verified Twitter accounts.
  In the survey study, we ask a demographically representative sample of U.S.
respondents (n = 299) about social media account verification requirements both
in general and for particular platforms. We also ask about experiences with
online information sources and digital literacy. More than half of respondents
misunderstand Twitter's criteria for blue check account verification, and over
80% of respondents misunderstand Twitter's new gold and gray check verification
indicators. Our analysis of survey responses suggests that people who are older
or have lower digital literacy may be modestly more likely to misunderstand
Twitter verification.
  In the measurement study, we randomly sample 15 million English language
tweets from October 2022. We obtain account verification status for the
associated accounts in November 2022, just before Twitter's verification
changes, and we collect verification status again in January 2022. The
resulting longitudinal dataset of 2.85 million accounts enables us to
characterize the accounts that gained and lost verification following Twitter's
changes. We find that accounts posting conservative political content,
exhibiting positive views about Elon Musk, and promoting cryptocurrencies
disproportionately obtain blue check verification after Twitter's changes.
  We close by offering recommendations for improving account verification
indicators and processes.
