Verifier 2.0

Proposal Summary

Current Verifier role should be improved and extended. Paid verifications & proof-of-stake approach for Sticker and Gift issuers will boost Telegram-native businesses and will create a new revenue stream for Telegram.

Problem context

• Verifier feature is half-done and has a queue of projects waiting.
• Telegram is not generating revenue from verifications, while running ops for official verifications.
• Internal deals for Verifiers, Gift Issuers etc. are not open for other businesses, which limits ecosystem growth.
• Risks to allow bad actors to "verify" bad actors (scam channels, etc.)

Solutions

Paid account verifications
Which is quite obvious; you probably already have it in the backlog. In addition to subscription-based verification feature, Telegram could extend it by adding verification types, different icons for groups, etc.

Verification of Stickers and Gifts

For sticker or gift issuers, there should be some rules that would apply control over Verifiers.

As with Telegram Ads, verifiers might lock a deposit to secure their rights and responsibilities. For each Sticker or Gift launch, Telegram might take certain fee to build a revenue stream on top of that.

For example, Sticker Pad stakes $1M USD in TON to issue Unique Telegram Stickers. They must comply with the rules, keep their launch process transparent, pay fees, and not violate IP rights; otherwise, they might lose their deposit. In addition, Verifier pays Telegram a certain fee to issue Telegram-supported Unique Sticker packs.

The number of Verifiers will be limited by the deposit size (same as Validators on TON), which would limits chaos while keep rules fair for everyone.

Apart from revenue for Telegram, this approach would create more ways for Telegram-native businesses to build valuable products, like a pad for Unique Stickers 🖖